


Afterlife

by helladeadinside



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Afterlife, Alternate Universe, Green Eyes, Human Experimentation, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) Swears, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) and Cleaning, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Near Death Experiences, Nightmares, Obsessive-Compulsive, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, POV Eren Yeager, POV Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Paranormal, attack on titan - Freeform, snk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-08
Updated: 2015-06-03
Packaged: 2018-02-12 07:51:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2101548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helladeadinside/pseuds/helladeadinside
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After years of Eren being away from his father, he is finally returned after the death of his mother. Eren now lives in a home with his father and sister, who he doesn't remember. Eren has known he was different for years, but why? How did it happen? Levi meets the closed off boy and wants to get to know him better. Can he do that by helping Eren understand more about his history?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I know I haven't finished my other Ereri story, but I just got this idea for another story and I needed to write it down to see if I liked it or not. I think it's okay, kind of. I'm not exactly sure if I like it enough to continue or not. If you could comment your opinions of the story, that would help. I know most of the plot but I don't know what to put in the middle of it all.   
> Expect random stories btw.

Afterlife  
Chapter One  
Eren

I couldn’t understand what I did to deserve what I’ve gotten. Was it all really worth it, all the pain and suffering, I mean. How was I even supposed to move on like this? Knowing that no one gets a break. Everyone always has that shroud of darkness above their head.  
Even before the accident, my eyes were like ones I had never seen before. They could be an ashy green, and bright emerald that almost glowed. Or a dark, murky green. Either way, they were always some form of green. They never stuck to one color.  
My mother always told me to embrace my eyes. That’d I’d gotten them from her side of the family and I should be eternally grateful for her genetics. She would sing to me beautiful harmonies to help me sleep at night, considering even now the act of sleep for me is and always has been a great difficulty. Too much happens when I sleep, which is even more exhausting than living off of it limited. I’ve grown accustomed to the lifestyle. My mother would always chastise me for eluding the sandman night after night until the bags under my eyes were prominent and my complexion grew ghastly.  
In the hospital was the worst. The nurse would be on my case nonstop when she noticed I didn’t sleep. Sometimes they would even drug me when I started to scare the shit out of the poor girl. She would come in and I would refuse anything she asked of me. I became rowdy. I threw my IV pole through the window, for God’s sake. Not too long after that happened, these big men held me down as they put me to sleep for a while. That one earned me no points with anyone, but they decided not to sue my father for damages. My pale green eyes rolled open to stare at the ceiling over my head. I was sitting in the back of my fathers brand new, 2014 Mercedes Benz, slumped against the window. I was tired, but I knew I would be awake for a while.  
My head lolled against the tinted window. The atmosphere was drippingly silent. I inhaled the feeling, relishing in it. I liked things to be quiet. I noticed in my peripherals my father’s eyes flick to the rear view mirror to look at me as though I was a ticking bomb. I tried to ignore it, focusing on the moving world outside.  
The weight of his eyes sunk into my mind, burning my dry skin. I swallowed and licked my pale lips.  
“Can...Can you please stop staring at me?” I muttered to him as the silence was broken by my plead. His eyes snapped back to the road ahead as we wound through the trees. Central AC brushed my skin. The cool air kept me calm in the thickness of the air.  
We continued on for another few minutes, The girl with short, ebony hair sat in the front seat. No one told me who she was. She hasn’t said a word to me. She looked at me when they picked me up from the airport like she was going to cry. The mysterious girl itched to hold me, yet I didn’t even recall her face. She sulked in the passenger seat, not wanting to make me uncomfortable.  
Another twenty minutes went by, although they felt like an eternity. Suddenly, the space I was confined in was beginning to smother me. Once we reached the literal end of the side road we took, the car pulled into a long and winding driveway. The sun disappeared behind a building as my father parked his extremely expensive automobile inside a garage. I sat up and opened the car door. I crawled out and planted my feet onto the ground, slamming the door shut. My eyes scanned the room, noting the multitudes of bikes attached to a ceiling rack.  
“You can ride one, right?” A quiet voice asked me from behind. I looked at my father over my shoulder as he asked stood, following my a gaze. I didn’t answer, as I looked ahead and followed the silent girl inside. As we stepped inside my new home, I noticed how old the house was. There was a big open living room, with countless windows on the ceiling. The light was somewhat uplifting, almost. There was a piano with a vase of flowers on top tucked away in the corner. The walls were white with framed paintings lining them. So far, it seemed like the nicest house I’d ever been in. The girl took her coat off and set it on a rack, so I did the same. All of our shoes were also taken off by the door.  
Off the other side of the entrance was a staircase that lead up to a balcony stretching across the living room. It was impressive, to say the least. The black haired girl turned to me and opened her mouth to speak.  
“Well, Eren. If you want, I can show you to your room to help you get settled in. After that, I’ll show you around the house. Is that alright?” She said, playing with the tips of a more than overused, red scarf. My eyes dropped to the floor, nodding. “Um, okay.” She said awkwardly, motioning me to follow her. She took me upstairs and lead me down the balcony to the bedroom section of the house. She went down a hallway, passing windows that shed some light on our path and the occasional painting. Suddenly, she stopped outside a white, wooden door with a golden knob. She turned it open to reveal a bedroom bigger than anywhere I’ve ever lived. There was a king sized bed dead center of the room with big, white and fluffy pillows. The pillows were lace and actually seemed undeniably comfortable. The blanket was the same. A large window with white curtains, casting a bright feel. There was also a bathroom off to the side. A desk with a television sat across from the bed on the opposite wall. The walls were grey and the floor was also white.  
In all honesty, I didn’t care what my bedroom looked like.  
As long as I had one.  
“This is it. Sorry if it’s too much white. You can change your room however you’d like once things settle down. Would you want to do that?” The black haired girl said. My shoulders shrugged, not really motivated to make a real response. “Okay, we can if you want. Um, one of the workers will bring your suitcase up in a few minutes. There’s a full bathroom in there if you want to shower or something.” I nodded. She turned around to leave when I thought to say something.  
“Wait.” I said, spinning around. She stood in the doorway with a wide and open face. “What’s your name?” I asked, seeing as how I didn’t know it.  
She opened her mouth slowly, almost as though she didn’t expect the question.  
“Mikasa.” She said and quietly shut the door. The closing of the door echoed in my subconscious, swallowing the stomach acid burning my throat. Silently, I moved towards the bed and layed down, my eyes fixating on the ceiling.  
Could I have a fresh start here?  
~  
There was a knock on my door as I finished rubbing a towel through my oak brown hair. I chose a pair of jeans and a beige, long sleeve shirt. As I traveled to the door, I threw my towel onto my bed. I opened the door to the girl, Mikasa. She looked at me and nodded.  
“Would you like a tour now?” She asked, her arms twisting behind her back.  
“Yeah, sure.” I closed the door behind me before Mikasa took me down the stairs. Along the way, she explained that her bedroom was a door a little more ways down the hallway, on the opposite side. The other doors I see are either spare bedrooms, or where the three maids and a butler stay. Being told that I would be waited on by other people made me cringe internally, so I decided I wouldn’t use them.  
She brought me into a room with glass doors that was on the landing. It was my father’s office where he worked. He was a very well payed stay-at-home therapist, which was hard to do nowadays. Mikasa told me to never ever go in there if the door was closed, meaning my father was working and should not be bothered. I tucked that piece of information in the back of my mind.  
She walked through the living room into the kitchen which also had a room connected to it that was a dining room which could host large parties. Other than that, there was a backyard that went on for acres.  
It would take some getting used to, but this was apparently my new home.  
“Mikasa!” I heard someone, my father, call out as she explained what he did for a living. We wound through out the house to his office. The door was open, as you could see my father sitting comfortably behind a desk. We walked in, wanting to see what he wanted. “Eren, did Mikasa show you around?”  
“Yes, your home is lovely.” I told him, wanting to start off on a good note. He smiled warmly, the ends of his eyes crinkling.  
“It’s you’re home now too, you know.” My eyes automatically lowered at the comment. “Mikasa, please leave us.” Mikasa left, shutting the door. He gestured for me to sit down in a velvety chair in front of his desk. I did, sinking into the amazing feel of the seat. “I know things have been...difficult for you. Your mother was an extraordinary woman. I missed her a lot over the years. I missed you a lot too.” My hands twisted nervously in my lap. The sincerity in his voice had my stomach spinning. “If you ever need to talk about anything at all, let me know. I am a busy man but I’ll never be too busy for you.” My eyes stung with emotion at his words. As much as I wanted to believe that, I just couldn’t bring myself to trust him yet. It’s the first time I’ve seen him in ten years. I hardly remember him. Mom would never speak of him or told me why she left him and took me with her, but I could tell it was serious. “Now, I know this is a lot to get into today, so we can talk more later. Are you hungry? I’m sure if you ask Christa or Sasha, they could make you something. Dinner is served every afternoon at five pm. Breakfast is served at ten am.You can have lunch at any time between breakfast or dinner, and maybe some snacks in between. It’ll be about three months until we decide what to do about school for you.” Assuming Christa and Sasha were the maids, I got up and turned to leave. “Oh, and Eren.” The feeling of the room changed completely, now feeling stuffy and dangerous even. “There’s a door under the stairwell. Don’t go in it. It will be locked at all times, so as not to tempt you. If sometime in the future you somehow unlock or find it unlocked, just know that if you go down there, the consequence will not be a small one.” I gulped, looking back at him. His face was grave, but twisted into a smile. “Okay, you can go now.” He said, as though he didn’t practically just threaten me.  
For some reason, I had a bad feeling about my new life.  
~  
That night, I didn’t sleep. I just laid in the darkness of my new room, comfort of my new bed and stared at the ceiling. I wondered what my mother was doing. Was she watching me in the next life? Was there a next life? I believed in one, considering the accident a few months ago. Constantly, I would think about how I was so close to death he was standing near me, waiting for me to give up. I didn’t, obviously.  
I got up and put on clean clothes at nine-thirty and went downstairs to eat breakfast with my father and Mikasa. Father sat at the end of the table with Mikasa on one side so I sat across from her. They were both waiting for the food to be served as I took a seat. My father took a long sip of black coffee before opening his mouth to talk to me.  
“How did you sleep last night, Eren?” He asked, expecting a normal answer. I forced a small smile.  
“Fine. The bed is pretty comfortable.” He nodded and placed his coffee down.  
“Ah, good.” Father agreed. Soon enough, the food came out. On a plate was a heaping of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast. It smelled wonderful. We began eating in silence. Every now and again, I would notice Mikasa staring at me. I’d look up and her eyes would instantly move to her plate.  
“Um…” Mikasa began. “Do you remember living here before?” She asked, looking up with some kind of hope on her features.  
“I don’t remember anything before five years old.” I said, picking at my eggs. Suddenly, there was a loud clank of silverware meeting a plate. With wide eyes, I glanced up to Mikasa covering her face with her hands. She had dropped her silverware. My father put a hand on her shoulder. “A-Are you okay?” I asked in a quiet voice.  
“So, you don’t remember me at all then?” She asked in a neutral voice. I ran my fingers through my hair, contemplating in what way this was affecting her.  
“No, I guess not.” I replied. Mikasa pushed her chair back and fled the room. I watched her go with concerned eyes. I hurt her.  
“Eren.” My eyes slid to look at my father. “Mikasa is your sister.”  
My head spun. I had a sister?  
“Well, she’s your adopted sister. You aren’t related by blood, but we adopted her when you were very young, so you grew up with her. She’s only a year old than you.” That meant she was seventeen. Now I understood why she acted towards me as she does. “At one point, you two were very close. She is also very protective of you.”  
I sighed and looked back at the food that looked about as good to me as battery acid would. I pushed my plate away while asking to be excused. With an exasperated look, my father complied.  
“Oh, and Eren!” My father called back. “Just so you know, I have a client at ten thirty. I’m sure Mikasa has explained that I am a home therapist and that when my doors are closed, I am working and I cannot be bothered. If you need something, you must see it can wait until those doors open, understand?” He said sweetly.  
“Yes.” I replied, meaning I heard him. What was I supposed to do around here? I could go up to my room and rot my brains with television. I didn’t exactly know what I was aloud to do around here and what I wasn’t. Obviously I wasn’t going to swing around on the chandelier like a maniac. Maybe I could find Mikasa and ask. I didn’t exactly know where she would be, but my gut told me her bedroom.  
I traveled upstairs as I recalled where she told me her door was located. I passed my door, went around a bend and saw a bedroom door that had a golden “M” hanging. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on her door. Would I be bothering her? Is she angry at me for not remembering my own sister? Soon enough, the door opened slowly, revealing Mikasa. Her eyes were red and swollen like she’d been crying.  
I did this to her.  
“Hey.” I said softly.  
“Hi.” She muttered, opening her door more to let me inside. Her walls were light purple. the floor was black and her bed was as large as mine with a black bed-set over it. There were posters of her favorite bands, some I’d heard of. Some not. The door closed behind me. Mikasa sat on the edge of her bed.  
“I’m sorry.” I said to my sister.  
Her head snapped my way. “For what?”  
I scratched the back of my head, nerves frayed. “For not remembering my own sister.” She nodded and looked at the floor.  
“That’s not your fault though. It was because Mom took you away… I don’t know why. Father never talks about her.” I crossed my arms, nodding along.  
“She never talked about him either.” Mikasa looked up at my words.  
“What was she like? Mom, I mean.” She mumbled the question. I closed my eyes as I delved into the memories I shared with my mom.

I slid the curtain shut as I climbed into the safety of the motel bathtub. Being only eight years old, I didn’t understand what Mommy did. I didn’t understand why she made me stay in a bathroom. I didn’t understand why sometimes men would come and stay the night with Mommy while I curled up on a bed made of blankets in the bathtub. I also didn’t know why Mommy forced me to be quiet and to stay in the bathroom with the door locked when a yellow car would pull up.  
I threw the blanket over my shaking form, cutting the bathroom from my view. My hands cupped over my ears, trying to cut out the sound of the screaming in the next room.  
An hour later, there was a soft knock on the door.  
“Eren, honey. It’s Mommy. Open the door.” My mother spoke through the door. Pushing the blanket off of myself, I ran and unlocked it. Mommy came in, shutting the door behind her. She bent down onto the floor and hugged me for a very long time. She started crying while I played with her dark brown locks.  
“What’s wrong, Mommy?” I asked, tears burning my eyes at seeing my mother so broken. Her big, emerald eyes look at mine. There was blood on her lip and there was marks beginning to color on her wrists and cheekbone. “Don’t cry. Everything is going to be okay.”

I opened my eyes to Mikasa staring at me, concerned.  
“She was great. She always tried her best to make sure I had something to eat, even when she didn’t. Whenever she wasn’t working, she’d teach me things like numbers and letters. It was the only schooling I had.” I shrugged. “I miss her…” My eyes slid to the floor, burning with emotion.  
“They never told me how they found you. Just that Mom was dead and you were found.” Mikasa muttered, again playing with a scarf around her neck. I stayed silent for a while, wondering if I should tell her.  
“Yeah…” I replied, not wanting to get into it.  
“Is there anything you want to know?” Mikasa asked, standing up and looking like she was ready to get herself together. I shrugged, not really thinking of anything at the moment. Mikasa told me that there was a trail in the woods back behind the house and that we could go walk down it. I told her yes, because what else was there to do? Mikasa said she was going to take a shower before we went. Leaving her room, I roamed down the hallway, past my room.  
Reaching the balcony across from the front door, I noticed the sounds of people talking. Hiding halfway behind the wall, I looked down on the landing. My father stood with a boy. A boy who looked maybe just a bit older than me. He had a bored expression on his pale face as he stood, listening to my father. He was a good looking person, I’d admit. His hair was shaved into an undercut and was ebony black. It split in the middle, straight as can be. He wore a white button up with black dress-pants. He also looked pretty short as well, although that hardly matters. Just as my father went into his office, the stranger lifted his head up, pale blue eyes searching. Finally, they landed on me. As our eyes met, a gasp passed through my lips as my eyes grew larger. I instantly hid from view by leaning back into the hallway. My hand slammed against my mouth to keep my uneven breathing silent.  
My cheeks burned with embarrassment. How weird is it to find a person you’ve never seen before just admiring you from afar? My guess was it was beyond frightening, for me and the stranger.  
Under my breath, I muttered hopeful words that he had gone into my father’s office with him. Slowly, I showed my head to look down at where the boy had stood. He was no longer there.

Levi

My eyes narrowed at the almost silent gasp that came from the person seemingly watching me. The half of the boys face disappeared around a corner. Who was that? Did Dr. Jaeger have a guest? The most I knew about the household is that there’s the Doctor’s daughter, Mikasa, two maids, a butler, and the Doctor himself. The boy looked to be somewhat young, but it was hard to tell when I had only gotten a glance of him before he vanished. I sighed and tried to forget about the person when I went into Dr. Jaegers office.  
Closing the door behind me, I then lowered into a chair across from his desk.  
“So, Levi. How’s your day going?” He asked as he opened his notebook. I stayed silent for a moment.  
“Well, I woke up. Got in the shower. Stayed in the shower for an hour. I went to the kitchen to make breakfast, but when I got there everything just looked so… unorganized. Filthy. I couldn’t eat in those conditions. I cleaned every inch of my kitchen.” I told him, honestly. He rubbed his chin between his fingers and wrote down what I said in the notebook.  
“Did you eat after that?”  
I hesitated.  
“No… I completely forgot.” He nodded as I hung my head in my hands. It’s a miracle if I ever get around to eating. There are just such more important things that I could be doing with my time, so many things I could clean.  
“Levi, would you like something to eat?” Dr. Jaeger asked sincerely. I blinked and focused on how my stomach reacted to the thought of food. I shook my head, not feeling hungry. There was a silent pause. “Have you used bleach on your skin at all?”  
He knew me too well.  
“I just… I felt so dirty. I took a nap yesterday and I had another damn nightmare. I woke up and I just knew a shower wasn’t going to be enough.” I admitted sullenly.  
“How bad is the burn?” He asked, referring to the chemical burn from the bleach. I didn’t want to make it seem too bad, but it spanned all the way across my shoulders.  
“I don’t know. It’s fine, I guess.” I grumbled and ran my fingers through my hair. He continued to ask me about things for the next hour. It was pretty much the end of my session when my curiosity got the best of me.  
“Dr. Jaeger?” I asked to get his attention suddenly. His eyes looked at me.  
“Hm?”  
“When I got here, I saw someone I don’t normally see here. Do you have a guest?” I asked, trying to shed some light on this mystery person.  
“Oh! Right, of course. I completely forgot. He’s a new addition to the household. His name is Eren and he’s sixteen. He’s actually my son.”  
My face morphed into confusion. I didn’t think he had a son.  
“His mother ran away with him when he was five. But, as of now, his mother has recently passed and he had no one to live with. He lives here now.” He smiled, proud of having his son back.  
“Interesting…” I mumbled. Eren, huh? Eren Jaeger. It sounded like a decent name.  
“Would you like to meet him?” He said suddenly. I was about to assure him there was no need, but he was already standing up. With a sigh, I stood from the chair and followed Dr. Jaeger onto the landing.  
“Eren!” He yelled upstairs. A few seconds later, there was a boy poking his head out. Yes, I thought I saw a mop of brown hair before, but now I was sure. His father chuckled. “Don’t be shy, now. I would like you to meet one of my long-term clients.” Slowly but surely, the boy began walking downstairs. Now that I could see him properly, I noted how he was a handsome boy.  
His hair looked almost untameable and dark, but soft. His eyes were a bright emerald green that caught my breath. Something about them made me feel odd. He was tall with broad, muscular upper body. Eren’s skin was a toned olive color that complimented his prominent jaw line. His mouth was set in a straight line, not moving to smile or frown. Something was off about him, I’d say that, but not enough to make me want to stay away from him.  
Something I wish I didn’t notice was how pale his cheeks looked and the bags forming under his eyes. Why did he look so strung out with life?  
“His name is Levi. Levi, this is Eren.” Doctor Jaeger motioned to the boy nervously shifting feet and playing with the ends of his sleeves.  
“Hello.” Eren said, his voice not too deep, but not unrealistically high. His eyes moved up to meet mine and damn, I almost staggered. Why did eye contact with him feel so heavy?  
“Hi, Eren.” I held my hand out, wondering if a handshake was a good way to go. When his hand gripped mine and shook it up and down, my chest tightened. Eren’s presence alone just makes me feel like I shouldn’t even be aloud to look at him. His mannerisms don’t scream “I’m so important”, but his still had that kind of feel. Does he know that he makes people feel this way? Is it only me who feels it?  
My eyes didn’t break contact with his and as soon as my skin touched his, the color of his irises actually changed. I saw them, physically, change color. They grew a lot lighter and now were almost white except for a tint of green. My mouth opened into a small “o” in wonder. His hand instantly was pulled away from mine while he worked on diverting his eyes.  
Eren was a special person. I could already tell.  
And he knew that too. He knew something wasn’t quite right with him.  
Another thing I knew was that this wasn’t the last time I would ever talk to him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHITTY CHAPTER GO!

Afterlife

Chapter 2

Eren

"Alright, Eren. I'm ready." Mikasa declared as she hopped down the steps, seemingly giddy for being able to spend time with me. I looked behind my shoulder, smiling slightly. Here hair was wet, so she had put it back into a bun. Little pieces hung around her slim face. She wore a pair of dark jeans with a blue sweater. Still, she wore the red scarf. Was it something precious to her?

Once Mikasa reached the landing, she nodded at Levi.

"Hello, Mikasa. Always a pleasure." The boy said, but not sounding as kind as he could be.

"Levi." It looked like she was trying her damnedest not to sneer at the well dressed boy. Did they not like each other? I suppose their personalities clashed. I actually got familiar vibes from both of them.

"Where are you two off to?" Dad jumped in. He didn't seem to notice their silent dispute. Either that, or that he just chose to ignore it and let it be.

"I was going to show Eren the trails." Mikasa said, looking to our father.

Dad smiled appreciatively. "Of course. I think you'll like them, Eren. I had them made when you two were younger." He said. I didn't overlook the frightened look on Mikasa's face. I'd make sure to ask her about that later. Levi pulled out his vibrating cell phone.

"Excuse me." He said before stepping away to answer it. Mikasa and I traveled toward the door to put on our shoes.

"There's a nice pond at the end of the trail. Do you like swimming?" Mikasa asked as she slipped on her fairly used Converse. Honestly, I've never been swimming. Which means I didn't know how to swim.

"Ah, sure." I lied. She glanced at me suspiciously.

"Something you should know is that I can always tell when you're lying. It's something I've developed to notice. You've never been able to lie to me, and I was wondering if you tweaked your lying abilities." She replied. "You haven't."

I smiled guiltily. I didn't know if that was going to be a problem or not. There had to be a way to shield my emotions from her enough to tell a simple lie. There just had to. What if I needed to lie at some point?

"Eren, Mikasa." My dad called. We turned before heading out the door. "Why don't you guys let Levi come with you?" Levi had a stunned expression, telling me this wasn't his idea. "His mother just phoned him to tell him she would be at least an hour late picking him up. He won't have any fun just sitting here alone."

"Uh, I mean..." Mikasa said, obviously not liking the idea.

"It's fine, I don't mind staying here." Levi tried saving himself, but it was in vain.

"What do you think, Eren?" My father asked. They all looked at me for my opinion. Since when did my opinion matter on anything? Why did they leave this decision up to me?

"I-It doesn't really matter to me." I said. I knew what both Levi and Mikasa wanted was the opposite of my answer. They wanted me to tell him I wanted to just be with Mikasa.

"Excellent." My father smiled and clapped excitedly. It was almost as if he wanted Levi to befriend us. Levi sighed and went to put his shoes on. When I caught sight of his expression, all it held was contempt. He shot me a glare and it went right to my head. I felt the need to apologize a million times. Over and over again. Anything to make him forgive me for being such a wet blanket.

We began walking in total silence. I walked next to Mikasa while Levi stay father behind, on purpose I assumed.

Levi hesitated just on the outside of the woods. Mikasa kept going, but I stopped in front of him.

"I'm sorry." I told him, shuffling my feet guiltily.

"For...?" He replied.

I shrugged. "I know you didn't really want to come with us. It was obvious. But I just couldn't refuse my father. I don't exactly know him too well and I don't want to disappoint him already." I said "already" because I knew it was going to happen at some point.

Levi had started trekking into the woods, so I followed.

"Whatever. I don't really care that much, it's just..." Levi stopped, wanting to find the right words. "Woods are so dirty." He spat the word as if it would burn him. It was then, I understood why he saw my father. He was obsessive compulsive.

"Yeah, I guess they are." I said in response. "Just don't touch anything, if you can avoid it."

He glanced at me from the side. "Why do your eyes change?" He asked suddenly. How did this turn onto me? My face dropped and so did my heart. Panic seized my lungs and there was suddenly not enough air in these forsaken forest.

I stuttered and stumbled over my words, not being able to speak simple syllables.

"Eren?" He said. I looked at him with a deer in the headlights look. Levi's dark eyebrows were furrowed with concern and his eyes held curiosity.

"Sorry..." I cleared my head and took deep breaths for a few seconds as we continued along the trail. Mikasa was just up ahead. Every now and then she would look back at us to make sure we were playing nice. Or that Levi hadn't decided to knock my head off of a tree and kill me. I don't think he'd actually do that, but maybe that was just Mikasa's thought process. "I don't know, actually."

"How is it possible for your eyes to just so blatantly change... It shouldn't be." He mumbled, more to himself than me.

"I know. I'm a freak, I guess." I shrugged dismissively. Levi looked up and I swear he looked like I kicked his puppy.

"You are not a freak. You're different and different is just fine." There was a familiar burn in my eyes and I had to ask.

"What color are my eyes right now?" I asked. Levi looked into my eyes with his pale, grey ones.

"Light green." He said in wonder. Think of my eyes like a mood ring. Well, a mood ring that's actually accurate. When I'm sad or angry, my eyes turn very dark. Neutral, basically is like an emerald. Happy is a light green, embarrassed is really close to white, but still has a tint of green. Completely white is loved. Black is hatred.

"That means I'm happy." Levi looked at me in confusion.

"How do you know that?"

"Certain colors portray my moods." Levi's mouth formed an O.

"Well, what colors represent what moods?"

I laughed. "I can't tell you." The look on his face told me he was not amused by that. "I can't tell you because then you'd be able to know how I feel all the time and I don't know if I want that."

Realization flashed across his stoic face. "I don't think I would want that either, honestly."

"Exactly." I said with a small smile. He looked at me and I could see a smirk forming. It was hard to tell how Levi made me feel, my eyes couldn't really go into technicalities. The comment about me not being a freak definitely upped my opinion of him.

"Do they just change in variations of green?"

I nodded. "Other than black or white, of course."

"Seriously? Black would be cool..." I didn't want to tell him what black meant, so I kept quiet.

"Would you girls hurry up and stop gossiping?" Mikasa called up ahead.

"We were talking about how blue isn't your color." Levi yelled back. Mikasa shot him a glare that I could feel from all the way back here.

"Why don't you guys like each other?" I asked, hoping to solve the aggression between them.

Levi shrugged. "It's just been that way since we met."

"I think you guys are so much alike that it kind of clashes, in a way." I said, trying to catch up to my sister. His head shot my way.

"We are not alike at all." Levi shook his head, his hair swinging. "I refuse to believe it."

Again, I laughed. Why was he making me laugh so much? I haven't done much smiling even since before the accident. Once I got old enough to know what my mom did as a job, it stunned me. I knew she was only doing it to support me, which is why I tried so many times to get her to take me to an orphanage or something. Yeah, it would have sucked. Yeah, I would have missed her a lot. But just knowing that she would have one less mouth to feed would make her life so much easier made me want to over look all of that.

"What're you thinking about?" Levi asked in the cool, afternoon air.

"My mother." I whispered, hoping my voice would get carried away in the wind and through the trees.

"Oh." He said, suddenly serious sounding. Did he know? He probably does. My father probably told him. "I'm sorry... About you losing her."

I blinked back the tears. Ever since she died, I haven't talked to anyone about her, other than Mikasa. No one understands. Not really, anyways.

"Me too." I replied.

"I know how hard it is, you know? I lost my dad when I was eleven." The robotic way Levi said that made me look at him. His face was as expressionless as his voice. How did he do it? How did he hide his emotions so well?

"Does it ever get easier?" I asked quietly.

"Honestly, kid? It doesn't so much get easier as you learn to live with the loss." He responded.

"You could have lied..." I muttered under my breath.

"Hey, I wish I had someone to tell me that. I wish I had someone there to tell me the right and wrong ways to deal with it." He looked at me, regret all over his face. "It fucked me up."

I didn't say anything more because, really, what else could I say?

Levi

How had I ended up telling Eren my life story? How had I ended up trusting him enough to tell him about my father? Sure, I didn't really go into specifics. Just that I told him made me wonder what about him seemed so open minded. Maybe it was the sadness he radiated. Maybe it was because I had been where he was now. Not exactly, of course. I knew there was more to his life other than being taken away by his mother. I could see it. I knew he had seen some shit, more than I had anyway.

We had finally caught up with Mikasa who seemed more than angry that Eren had been talking to me most of the time. Guilt gripped my chest. This was the first time Mikasa and Eren could get away to really spend some time together since he'd been brought home and I had sacrificed that. If I had the pride to apologize to her, I would.

"Finally. Are you guys done?" She asked with her arms crossed. Eren laughed nervously.

"Yeah, sorry. We got a little carried away, I guess." I could see he had liked talking about that stuff. After his mother died, he must not have had anyone to confide in. Maybe even before she died he couldn't. How many people would believe that he had mood color changing eyes?

"A little?" Mikasa said. Her tone softened when speaking directly to her brother. She must really love him. Eren smiled with indiscretion. She waved it off. "We're almost there anyways."

As she said, soon enough there was a pond into view. It was quite large for a pond, and clean. Well, not my standards of clean. It seemed there wasn't any fish or weeds poking up through the water. The water was clear.

"Dad maintains it. We used to come here all the time... when we were little." Mikasa said mournfully.

"It's kind of familiar." Eren replied. My eyebrows dipped in confusion. Did he not remember? Eren caught my features. "I don't remember anything from when I lived here. I don't even remember how I got to be with my mom."

Eren's life was so complicated.

"So, you didn't answer me earlier. You can swim, right?" The ebony haired girl asked him.

"I haven't been swimming..." Eren muttered, scratching the back of his neck.

"You haven't been swimming at all since we were kids?" Mikasa asked in shock. The olive toned boy nodded mutely. Well, shit.

"I don't even know if I can swim." He said, shrugging.

Mikasa groaned. "Jesus, Eren. Did Mom keep you in a cave or what?"

Eren's eyes suddenly grew into a very murky green. "Don't talk about her like that." He warned. I didn't think I could ever see someone so visibly emanating anger. "She fed me, clothed me and made sure I had somewhere to sleep. She was my teacher and both my mom and my dad. She did everything she could to keep us alive so I'm sorry if that excludes fucking swimming."

He had a point.

Eren crossed his arms and left Mikasa speechless.

"Eren..." She began delicately. "I didn't know you were so struggled."

"It doesn't matter now." He closed his eyes and breathed in and out deeply. When he opened his eyes again, they were a pretty emerald green with a hint of blue. They were beautiful.

We stayed a little longer until there was nothing left for Mikasa to show us. After, we began to walk back to the Jaeger's house. Eren and I talked for a little bit, mostly about nothing that seemed to compare to the importance of the conversation on our way down. My mother's car was in the driveway when we arrived. We walked into the house to see a woman with long, ebony hair that reached the middle of her back. She wore a grey pencil skirt with a purple blouse. Her eyes were bright blue and her lips were blood red. She was absolutely stunning and she was my mother.

"Hi, Mom." I said as I entered the room. She looked up from the spot on the couch where she sat, talking to Dr. Jaeger. They both had cups of tea in their hands. Her perfectly white and straight teeth showed as she smiled brightly at me.

"Hello, dear. I was just talking with Dr. Jaeger." She stood, placing her teacup on the coffee table and brushing down her skirt. Mom looked behind me. Mikasa stood with a ghost of a smile. "Hi, Mikasa. How're you doing?"

"Fine. Thank you, Ms. Ravaille." She replied sweetly. Turning around, I noticed Eren wasn't in sight.

"Eren?" I said. His face peeked out, eyes a very light green. They looked like they did when I saw them change for the first time. My mother offered a soothing smile.

"Hello, Eren. I'm Levi's mother." Slowly, my mother stuck her hand out. Once you got to know Eren better, you'd think he'd be anything but shy. At his own pace, he stepped out from behind the wall and shook her hand.

"Hi." Eren greeted with a small smile. I couldn't help but smile as well. He was so... enlightening. Refreshing, even.

Mom continued to smile warmly. "I hope my son was nice to you. Sometimes he can be a bit overbearing." I rolled my eyes.

"Just say that I can be a dick sometimes it's okay I won't hold it against you." I said with an amused look, knowing Mom will chastise me for my language.

"Watch your mouth, Levi." She chided, but was still smiling.

I shrugged. "What're you gonna do?" I said carelessly. She shook her head. It was rare she got mad at me. Mom knew how I got sometimes and she's been the only person I've ever met that can calm me down without getting frustrated herself. Now that I thought about it, I didn't get angry with Eren today and we talked a lot, really. He said some things that would have knocked me off my rocker, but nothing. Eren was a special boy.

"We should get going, hun. I'll meet you out in the car, alright?" Mom said. "It was very nice meeting you, Eren. If you ever want to come over for dinner, just have your father call me." I would like that, honestly. I was doubtful Eren would actually want to or would even think of it, but maybe if we got closer...

Mom walked out, saying and waving goodbye to everyone.

"Well, Eren. It was a pleasure." I said. He smiled, his eyes darkening so they were just lighter than the emerald I saw earlier. I didn't know if I'd ever get tired of that.

"Yeah. It was." He said. I didn't want to leave. "I'll be here, if you ever want to hang out again."

I nodded while pushing my hair behind my ear. "Okay. I'll be here next Friday."

Eren lead me out and waved as we drove down the road and his house eventually fled from my view. I took such a quick liking to Eren. That was odd for me.

"Mom." I said. She hummed, waiting for me to continue. "I think Eren and I could be good friends."

"Really?" She asked, interested.

"Yeah... I told him about Dad." There was silence.

"I know you don't like to talk about him..."

"For some reason, it wasn't that bad talking about it with Eren. He knows what it's like to lose a parent." I tapped my fingers in a pattern on my leg.

"His father told me. Gosh, that child has been through so much..." Mom said sadly. He never specified. I just know that his mother died.

"He never told me how it happened."

"And I won't either." I looked at her with wide eyes.

"Mom, you can just say how much he's been through and then not tell me!" I wanted to know so badly. I wanted to help him in any way I could.

"Dear, if Eren didn't tell you, then he's not ready to share it. I won't be the bearer of someone else's bad news." Mom replied.

I sighed in frustration. "Fine." I huffed.

Eren would tell me in time as long as we continued to grow closer.


	3. Chapter 3

Afterlife

Chapter 3

Eren

That night, I finally got some sleep. After drifting through my rambunctious thoughts for two hours, exhaustion eventually set in. It'd been three days since I slept. Once my body fell into a rhythm of breathing and slowed heart beats, it was already three in the morning. Dreams were too much. I wished that I could just sleep with a blank mind and wake up refreshed instead of in cold sweats and tears. Of course, that was exactly what had happened at five. A crack of thunder and strike of lightening woke me with a gasp of air. I bolted up with moisture running down my back and streaking my face. With shaking hands, I gripped the top of the blanket and continued to tremble. As I took quivering breaths into the white lace, I willed the accelerated jump of my heart to stop. Thunder bounced off my windows while light illuminated into my dark bedroom, making me yelp and flinch. My hands smacked over my mouth to try and smother the sound. Water pelted the glass, calming me slightly. My black tee shirt stuck to my body uncomfortably. I ripped it off and threw it to the side. Sweat slicked down the back of my neck and all over my abdomen. After more deep breaths, I flopped back down onto the bed.

I actually tried to go back to sleep. Really, I did. I crawled away from my warmth and comfort at nine and dressed. I pushed my hair back and pulled a beanie hat over it. Looking at my complexion in the mirror only furthered my wariness. Bags under my eyes were becoming more noticeable as time went. My iris's color was a murky emerald. Neutral, but tired.

I sighed as I left my bedroom in a pair of grey sweatpants and a red, long-sleeve shirt. Once I was at the table, I sat down. Mikasa wasn't down yet, so I sat and listened to my father brag about how well his business was taking off. Apparently, he actually is very manageable with his clients.

"I have three appointments today, so I talked Mikasa into taking you into town. She's going to show you around and whatnot. It should be fun, don't you think?" He asked. I wanted to throw a fit, claiming I was sick. Besides looking like death, I felt like it too.

"Good morning, Eren. Dad." Mikasa said upon entering. She stopped going to sit down as she looked at me. Her eyes narrowed no doubt at my disturbed features. "Are you okay, Eren? You look..." She stopped trying to find the correct word. "Off."

I bit on the inside of my cheek. "I'm fine."

"You worry too much, Mikasa." Dad said with a chuckle. Plates of food were set down in front of us by the butler. I looked up at him as he planted my plate of waffles in front of me. His eyes moved down to look at me. The man smiled graciously, wrinkles forming at the edges of his golden brown eyes. They held something wise within them. "Ah, I apologize for not introducing you to the staff, Eren. In all the commotion yesterday, I guess it just slipped my mind." The man with not a single hair on his head erected his back and stood proudly. The grey color of his mustache suggested he wasn't a young person. "This is the Jaeger house butler, Pixis. He's been a very loyal worker of this house for a long time. He served my father when he was the owner of this home. I've always been able to count on Pixis."

"Oh, thank you sir. It's a pleasure working for such a wonderful household." Pixis said with a deep laugh. "If you ever need anything, Eren, don't be afraid to ask."

I smiled appreciatively. "It's nice meeting you."

Something sparkled suggestively in his eyes as he glanced down at me. It was almost like he wanted to tell me something. But, that was crazy to assume when I had only just met him. He went back into the kitchen after nodding to my father.

"We're going out today, you know?" Mikasa said around a bite of waffle. I took a longing sip of orange juice. I nodded, trying to choke down my cries of disagreement. Again, her cold gray eyes gave me a once over. She really was too perceptive.

I scarfed down my waffle and excused myself. While I headed up to my room, Mikasa told me we would be leaving at eleven and that I should do whatever I need to do to get ready. Was I really ready to go into public? Let's be honest, was I ever?

I showered and tried to wake up as much as I could. I picked out a pair of jeans with holes in the knees and a plain, white tee-shirt. While brushing my teeth, a knock sounded on my bedroom door. As I held the toothbrush in mouth, I answered. Mikasa was on the other side. Her eyebrow rose at the sight of me with toothpaste all over my mouth.

Inviting her in, I quickly finished up and put a black beanie over my still wet hair.

"Rough night?" She asked pointedly at the disarray of my bed. I shrugged and zipped up a navy blue sweater over my tee-shirt. "Eren, please talk to me."

Inwardly, I groaned. "About what? The weather?"

Mikasa pushed back her hair and sighed. "Do you still have issues sleeping?"

"No." I said.

"Stop lying." Mikasa replied. Rolling my burning eyes, I turned around and began making my way downstairs.

"Eren, please tell me the truth." She called after me, following my steps.

Suddenly, I turned around. Mikasa bounced off my chest, backing up. Her face held determination and anger.

"What? What do you want from me? Do you want me to talk about the nightmares that I have every time I sleep? Do you want me to tell you that I slept for two hours in the past three days?" Mikasa's face began to soften.

"...I just want you to feel like you can come to me if things go wrong." Mikasa muttered. "I'll always be here for you and I'll never turn you away."

The anger in my stomach calmed and my eyes burned. "Whatever." I said in response. I headed down the stairs and put my shoes on by the door. Mikasa called goodbye to Dad as she picked up keys to a car I didn't know we had. She led me back to a red Cadillac. Sliding into the passenger seat while my sister sat herself in the driver side.

"Do you have a driver's license?" Mikasa asked as we got onto the desolate road.

"No." My mother had talked about me getting my driver's license. Considering we never stayed in the same city for more than a month or two, I found no need for even getting my permit.

"Permit?"

I shook my head. Mikasa glanced at me.

"Cell phone?"

Again, I denied. The only form of a cell phone my mother had been a cheap one from a department store. But it wasn't completely uncommon for a teenager to not have a cell phone, right?

"Eren... tell me how you lived?" She asked a few minutes later as we quietly glided down the road.

"Mostly in motels." I answered honestly. My eyes stayed glued to the rushing world around me. My admittance was met with seconds of silence.

"You're not kidding, are you?" She said in a soft voice.

"No." I whispered. Why would I kid? My old life wasn't something to be trifled with.

"Did you at least have a bed every night?" Mikasa questioned.

"Sometimes." Out of habit, my shoulders shrugged. "We couldn't always get rooms. And when we did I usually had to sleep in the bathtub." Again, silence.

"Why?" Mikasa mumbled. "Why did you have to be taken from us?" That was one question I couldn't answer. If my mother was still alive, she would be the only person able to answer it. No one made another move to speak, so I leaned my head against the window to rest my eyes. When the car stopped and turned off, I groggily lifted my head. We were surrounded by cars in a parking lot.

"Where are we?" I had asked. Mikasa turned her head to look at me.

"The mall." I hummed. The last time I had been to the mall, my mother had convinced me to help her steal some things we needed.

"What for?"

"To buy things." Mikasa answered as if it were obvious. She never told me we were going shopping.

"Okay, well what do you need to get?" I asked. Mikasa climbed out of the car, which got me to do the same.

"It's not what I need to get, it's what you need to get." My eyes clouded over with confusion. What did she mean by that, exactly? "I'm buying you new clothes and some stuff for your room. Do not argue with me."

My eyes widened in surprise. Stuff for me? Why?

"But my clothes are just fine though. I haven't even outgrown them yet." I told her, knowing I had made a mistake going with her today.

"Eren, you don't need to outgrow your clothes to get new ones. And you live with us now. You have luxuries and balanced meals. Not everything in the world has to be struggled." Mikasa said. That stood out to me. I had luxuries? I don't have to be struggled? She continued on into the mall. Complying with her desires, I followed. She took me to stores filled with clothes that I'd only ever dreamed of wearing. We had found some nice pairs of jeans and they fit wonderfully. Mikasa would pick out things she assumed I looked good in, and made me try them on. If it fit, she bought it.

"Surely you're spending too much on me..." I'd told her at some point. My hot tempered sister glared in response, which was enough for me to shut up apparently. After taking me to a store for some bedroom supplies, she made me stop at a hair salon.

"What are we doing here?" I asked Mikasa. With the smuggest grin she could muster, she turned to me.

"You need a hair cut." I groaned under my breath. Yeah, it was just hair. I'd never felt the need to really care about it as much as others. It grows back, right? One of the hair dressers pulled me into a seat and began hacking away at the nappiest parts of my hair. Mikasa watched the whole time, making sure they cut evenly. About a half hour later, I glanced at my sad-looking hair on the floor. Then, at the mirror.

Brown locks were finally out of my face, making my eyes seem larger than they did before. My jaw line became more noticeable and chiseled. The same went for my proud cheekbones I undoubtedly got from my mother. It still held the same messiness as before, but it looked more on purpose as opposed to actually unkempt and knotted waves. I looked over at my sister who stared at me in awe.

"You look just like her..." She mumbled. Assuming she meant my mother, I smiled brightly. I was proud as hell to say I looked like my mom. She really was a beautiful woman.

"Thanks." My eyes burned into a light green, pride suffocating my lungs.

As we began to leave the salon, Mikasa suggested picking up a coffee from Starbucks. I'd never had Starbucks, but from what I heard, it was great. I didn't exactly know the differences between all the types of coffee so I just had Mikasa order for me. As she had instructed me, I grabbed a small table in the shop. It was semi secluded so I found it the perfect time to ask her about the pond. She came back with two cups of coffee. A "white mocha frappe" is what she called my drink. Once it had cooled enough, I took a sip. It was good, but in need of some getting used to.

"So, Mikasa, can I ask you something?" She rose her eyebrow over her cup as she sipped generously. "Did something happen at that pond when we were younger?" Her eyes grew the size of saucers as I imagined her going through a shit ton of scenarios in her head about where I would get that idea.

"Why do you ask?" She said calmly. On the exterior, she screamed nervousness. Her voice couldn't be anymore relaxed, though.

"I just got this feeling..." Which wasn't exactly a lie. Something gnawed at my stomach as we explored around the pond yesterday. It'd been bothering me since and I felt like there was something she wasn't telling me. With a dejected sigh, she set her cup down.

"When we were kids, you got lost in those woods..." Mikasa started, not meeting my eyes. At her beginning of the story, my attention was gripped. "We didn't know how you got out of the house. It was on a cold night in November. Mom woke up and went to check on us. I was sleeping, you were out of your bed. She checked all over the house. Literally, everywhere. When she woke up Dad to tell him you'd gone, he got on her shoes and a coat. He left the house and came back an hour later with you in tow." She shook her head as she looked back on the memory. "He never explained how he knew where you were. You had been wet and shaking. Your feet were bare. He told Mom that when he found you, you were standing on the edge of the pond. We didn't even know there was a pond back there. We didn't have the trails at the time, so it was odd how you found your way there. He had found you right when you had jumped into the pond. It was freezing outside, so when you came back home, you had hypothermia for a while. Mom cried when you were found. She had been so worried." Mikasa said, stirring her coffee inside her cup. What the hell kind of story was that? For some reason, I knew that something like that had happened. But I didn't remember it. "Whenever you got mad after that, you'd always run to the pond. Mom and Dad told you to stop, but you wouldn't listen. The only solution Dad could come up with was to create a path in the woods so you wouldn't get lost and to clear out the pond for swimming in the summer." She sighed at the end of her story. I had been transfixed the whole time.

"I did that? Really?" I was a weirder child than I originally thought.

She shrugged. "It's how we got the hangout area."

As I mulled over my own childhood stupidity, we left Starbucks. Mikasa explained that she was going to show me all the major points in town. She drove by the local high school I would attend at some point. Every teenager in the area went to that school. Including Levi, of course. Would I have classes with him? Are we even in the same grade?

"How old is Levi?" I asked in the sudden silence of the Cadillac, the only sound from the tires winding up the road.

"Hm? Oh, I think he's seventeen. Why?" Mikasa asked, suspiciously. Her slim, black eyebrow lifted with her question.

"Uh, no reason. I was just wondering." I looked away and back out the window.

"You two seemed to hit it off yesterday. I really didn't expect that." Mikasa sighed. "He's usually so cross, but... With you he seems to actually be nice." She pulled a disgusted face. "I didn't even know he could be nice."

"Everyone is saying that but I can't imagine him as anything but kind. But, I'll take your words into consideration." I replied. Sure, his methods of consoling were different, but it helped. There's no problem with admiring him for that, right?

As we arrived home, two maids were waiting patiently outside. We pulled in, they began moving towards the car. I got out and noted how glowing the one looked. Her hair was golden blond and pulled into a neat ponytail on top of her head. Caribbean blue eyes locked with mine. Her face was soft looking and her skin was like porcelain.

"Hello. I'm Krista Historia. I'm a maid." Krista introduced herself with a big smile. I smirked.

"Hi. Eren." I replied. She nodded.

"What bags would you like help with, Sir?" Krista asked as the other maid helped get the bags from the car with Mikasa.

"They're all his so they go to his bedroom." Mikasa answered with a small smile.

"Alrighty." She laughed and started to carry bags in a long with the other maid, who I've yet to meet. Her hair was a reddish-brown and was pulled into a pony ail like Kristas, only messier. She struggled with some of the bags, so I kicked my butt in gear to help. I took some from her grasp.

"Oh, sir, I have it. It's okay." She said in an exasperated voice. I chuckled.

"No, it's fine. It's all my stuff anyways." We went upstairs to my room and dropped the bags in the corner of the room. Once all of them had been in place, I asked the brunette's name.

"Sasha." She nodded, her eyes determined and fierce.

"Thank you, Sasha." I said, motioning to all the bags.

"It's not problem at all." She smiled and excused herself. After my door shut, I dropped onto my still messed bed. There was a knock on my door and I didn't feel like getting up to answer it.

"Come in." I called. The door opened and Mikasa came in.

"I called someone to help us set up your bedroom." She announced. Who would she have called? I don't know any of her friends, so would that be weird?

"Mikasa." Someone said behind her. It was a boy. He sounded youngish.

"Uh, yeah. Armin, come in." He shuffled his way in beside her. I wasn't expecting a kid with long blond hair and blue eyes. His face radiated innocence with his pointed nose and childlike cheeks. For some reason, I got this vibe of familiarity from him. I sat up and stretched my arms over my head and looked at him.

Armin looked up, his face the definition of surprise. Confusion hazed over his big eyes and he dropped the bag he was carrying.

"M-Mikasa. Who is this?" He asked in a small, quivering voice. I stood, my height towering over him. I looked at him with soft features and a little smile.

"Hi, I'm Eren." I introduced. His hands flitted over his O shaped mouth.

"Eren, is that really you?" He muttered. Mikasa came and stood beside him.

"This is Armin. I don't think you remember him, but we were childhood friends. It was always us as a trinity. You two were close enough to be brothers." The smiled slipped from my face as I took in her words. How could I have forgotten something so important?

"I'm sorry..." I whispered, my eyes clouding with sadness. "I don't remember anything from my childhood."

"Oh..." Armin mumbled. Tears welled in his wide, doe eyes and I felt the need to hug and protect him. How can I protect him when it was me causing him grief?

"Anyways," Mikasa began with a hand on both of our shoulders. "How about we start working?"

Armin wiped his eyes and smiled hugely. "Yeah, okay." So, we began. We stripped the bed from the white sheets and put on the new ones we had bought. The sheets I picked out were black. The comforter was a dark green with black embroidery. Armin set down a black rug at the middle of the room. Mikasa hung up some cool looking posters on the walls. By the end of the hour, my room looked much less bare.

"Alright. I think we're done." Armin declared. Mikasa helped me hang up my new wardrobe in the closet and fold some into drawers.

Looking at this room and thinking about how it was now considered my own bedroom stirred my stomach. My eyes followed every corner and crevice. It screamed "Eren" and I couldn't be happier with it. Eyes burning, I considered how it was a different burn. Not from the color of my irises changing, but tears. Tears welled up in my ducts at the thought of my first, real bedroom. Mikasa and Armin were staring at me worriedly.

"Eren, do you not like it? We can take some stuff back and get something different." Mikasa asked, going into a frenzy about how it's okay that I didn't like it.

"No, it's not that. I love it." I sighed and wiped away my tears. "It's just... I've never had a bedroom before." Unless you could count the room I had when I lived here as a child. I had never been big on sharing how I felt. It was odd showing them how much a simple room could affect me, but I didn't feel entirely uncomfortable doing so. I guess it was those repressed, childhood memories making feel so comfortable around them. Mikasa replied by smiling gently and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Armin stared at nothing in particular with a slightly vexed expression. Remembering how he seemed surprised to see me, I guessed no one explained to him my situation.

"We should talk, Armin." I said to the blond. His eyes focused in on me and he nodded excitedly with a small smile. We all got situated on my bed. We sat in a triangle on the new bedspreads.

"I never explained some things. Right now is as good of time as any." I sighed and grappled for the right words. "Where do I even start..." I mumbled to myself. They both waited patiently. "My mom never told me why she took me away from my father. She just said something like 'Does it really matter? You like being with me, right?' like she had to have constant reassurance that I was happy to have her as my mother. I loved her dearly, but she was slightly scatter brained. Anyways, as soon as my mother left here with me, she ultimately no idea where to go. We traveled for a while until we stayed at a motel. Usually, the motels wouldn't let us stay any longer than two weeks, so we bounced around between different motels and cities. Eventually, her savings ran dry and we were homeless for a while."

Armin and Mikasa stared with saucer-like eyes. Their attention was undivided and they kept silent, so I continued. "At this point, my mother was looking left and right for any way to make some money... She was backed into a corner where she felt only had one decision to make. She started to sell her body. Every night she would come home with a new guy. Then another after that. And another. There was no end to it." Tears began to free fall from my cheeks at an alarming rate. Mikasa, I noticed, began holding back her own tears.

"I slept in the bathtubs with some blankets and pillows. Every man she had in our motel room was unaware she had a child, and she worked hard to keep it that way. At first, selling herself for some measly three hundred bucks per man was only for herself and I. Some man came to her one day, but denied her services. He offered to take her in as one of his prostitutes. Pimps, I guess you could call them. It worked out for a while, although we stayed in the motels still. She used every cent she had to make sure I had food and things I needed. She taught me all the things I needed to know. Of course, the money soon was not enough. With her new pimp, he demanded a certain percentage of her earnings per night. He kept raising the percentage higher and higher. I realized what she did as I got older. She would charge the men more than usual and keep some of the profit, and not tell the pimp. He would always find out and beat her. Somehow, he never found out she had me." Thinking about my mother and talking about her out loud made her seem so much more real and it hurt like hell.

It hurt to know how my mother had to live just to support me. I hadn't given up on blaming myself all this time. She was a real person, as much as I had made it seem these past few days, that she wasn't. "One day, the pimp found out my mother had stolen a shit ton of money from him. He came into the motel while she was in the bathroom with me. My mother forced me out of the bathroom window and we made a get away. The car we were provided stalled in the parking lot. As a last-minute decision, we transferred to the pimp's yellow Ferrari." I chuckled at the memory. "I'll never forget how mad that asshole got while he screamed profanities at my mother as she sped away in his expensive sports car." The upcoming memory was less pleasant. "Mom was driving horrendously. Her mental state was already borderline insanity at this point. Something distracted her. She crashed the car off of a cliff that landed us in the middle of some kind of woods. All I remember was being thrown about the car and intense pain. The car landed upside down." I wiped the remaining tears. "I stayed in that metal deathtrap for four days before it was discovered by a park ranger. They got to the car and announced my mother dead. They assumed I was too, but I was just barely awake. I was, for some reason, alive. Sure, I was injured, bleeding, dehydrated, starving and in and out of consciousness, but alive no doubt. I spent about two months in a hospital and then I was told my father would be taking me in. There are a few thing in between there that I'm leaving up to your imaginations." Armin and Mikasa were speechless. Tears rolled unceremoniously down both of their cheeks. Mikasa threw herself at me, her arms going around my shoulders. It was odd, the hug. The only person who's ever hugged me was my mother. Assuming a hug was a hug no matter who it was with, I wrapped my arms around her back. Armin hugged me next. It was a bit weirder hugging him, considering I didn't know him as well, but if we were close at one point, who was I to deny? I waited for them both to respond in some other way than physical affection as I mulled over the memories in my head.


	4. Chapter 4

Afterlife

Chapter 4

Levi

I lay awake at nine in the morning, staring at the sunlight that shown through strips of my blinds and sprawled out on my grey carpet floor. A slightly annoyed mew caught my attention. Titan, my black and grey tabby, pawed at my hand that hung off the bed. He had no claws, so I wasn't worried. I glanced down at him swishing his tail about, irritated.

"Are you hungry?" I asked him as though Titan could voice his source of animosity. He mewled and rubbed his cheeks on my fingers. Scratching under his chin, he tilted it back and purred lovingly. His pink nose sniffed my hand curiously and then sneezed. I smirked. Titan hopped up onto my bed and walked across my chest, meowing constantly. "I couldn't have picked a quiet cat?" I muttered to myself as I climbed out of bed, stretching my back muscles out. Satisfactory pops made me groan before making my way out of my room and into the kitchen.

Titan followed me all around the house until I stopped by his food dish and filled it with some kibble. He purred happily while scarfing down his breakfast. I knew all too well not to bother him while he was eating, so I decided upon going to the bathroom to shower. As soon as I walked in the bathroom, my skin began to itch under my clothes. At first it was a small nuisance, not a big deal. My fingers precariously scratched areas over my clothes. I looked at the counter. A deodorant stick was on it's side. Instantly, I upturned it. Some things on the counter next to the sink were slightly out of place. Constantly, I was itching under my clothes as I organized the entire bathroom. I stopped after everything looked satisfactory. But the mirror was kind of dusty, I noticed. I cleaned them off with window cleaner and paper towels. Now the floor looked dirty compared to everything else. Under the sink, I pulled out a bottle of bleach. With a mop, I scrubbed the floor. The familiar and somewhat comforting smell reached my nostrils.

I knocked myself out of my stupor. I'd just cleaned the whole bathroom without a second thought. At least the itching has stopped, mostly. Putting away the bleach, I turned on the shower and the fan in the ceiling. I showered, blatantly ignoring the lingering thought about the bleach in the cabinet in the same room. It would be so easy. It's right there. Then, I thought of how my skin would look. I would give myself a chemical burn, yet again. My skin would be all scar tissue if I don't stop. I don't want that. I got out of the shower after scrubbing myself clean and raw. It worked, I supposed. Wrapping a black towel around my hips, I ran a washcloth over the mirror that was collecting perspiration. My pale and stoic face appeared before me and I frowned deeper. How do people say I look like my mother? Sure, I had her pin-straight, ebony hair. To me, I look more like my father. My nose was pointed like his and my features were sharp and clean cut like his. I remember how my mother used to joke that my father could cut diamonds with his jawline. My fingers slid along my jaw that I seemed to have also gotten from him. It was weird how now that I thought about it, all I could see was my dad in the mirror. Water pooled and dripped on the ends of my hair while my pale blue-gray eyes gaped back at me. I think they made me look deathly against my pale skin. I just had this aura about me that made me seem so... unapproachable. I wasn't so bad, was I? No, I just don't trust easily. People mistake my trust issues with just plain anger. Yes, I was angry sometimes. I tried not to let my emotions swallow me whole. They were just so persistent all the damn time. With a sigh, I turned away from my reflection and exited the bathroom.

After doing so, I went into my room and threw open my closet. I pulled out some clothes for the day. A pair of white-wash jeans, ending below my knees, that hugged the shape of my legs, effortlessly making them look longer, a black tee-shirt. I towel dried my dark locks and put on a pair of black socks. When I came into the dining room, my mother sat in a chair with a cup of coffee and our local newspaper.

"'Morning." I announced into the room. She looked up and smiled slightly.

"Good morning, Levi." Mom said while taking a sip from her mug. "How are you this morning?"

"Fine." I replied while taking a seat next to her. Her black brow arched.

"Do you want breakfast?" She asked, setting down the paper. My eyes skimmed the article in the middle of the page. Something about our governor, although I didn't exactly care enough to figure out what it was really about.

I shrugged as my answer.

"So, yes? No?"

"No, I'll just have some coffee." I went and poured a cup of black roast caffeine. I drank it at the table while scrolling through my phone.

"I will never understand how you can drink yours black." My mother mumbled into her cup. I looked up and smirked slightly. "Your father tried explaining why he drank it like that, but I still don't understand."

I guess another trait I got from him was how I like my coffee.

"It's just good, I guess." I tilted my head. "Kind of like how you don't like pepperoni on your pizza."

She smiled and chuckled. A light hum came from her as she swallowed more of her drink. "You have an appointment with Dr. Jaeger tomorrow."

I choked on my coffee. It was Thursday already? Damn, that means I have to hang out with Erwin and Hanji today. My neck went limp, not supporting the weight of my head. It fell onto the table as I groaned.

"I made plans with Four Eyes and Captain America today..." My voice muffled against the table, but still provided my mother with my feeling of exhaustion.

"They're your friends and you know you love them." My mother chided as she got up to put her empty cup in the sink.

"I don't think 'love' is the correct word for it... tolerate is more like it." I replied. I could basically hear the of shake her head and laugh quietly to herself.

"What about that day when that guy followed Hanji home and she got scared so she called you? You were at her house and down the guy's throat in ten minutes flat." She smiled and ruffled my hair as she walked by. My eyes rolled, recalling the experience. I've never seen a guy so scared for his own life before. Three punches to his face had him stumbling down the street and, more importantly, away from Hanji.

"No one likes a try hard, Mom." I said, but it was more like "no one likes a stalker". At least he avoids Hanji now, that was all that mattered. In all honesty. Hanji and Erwin were like siblings to me. No matter how many times I pushed them away, they never left me. They never abandoned me for my stubbornness and selfishness. You'd swear they had liquid loyalty running in their vanes instead of blood. I don't really know how we got to be such close friends, but I'd rather not admit how glad it made me we were.

"You were worried about her." She pointed out. After emptying the contents of my cup, I got up an placed my cup in the sink. Mom smiled at me while I did so. Releasing a small scoff, I continued from the kitchen and into the living room. My pocket vibrated, indicating someone was calling me. Betting a weeks worth of bleach that it was Hanji calling me seemed like a safe bet to make. A voice in my head told me to ignore it, but I bypassed that voice and answered it without even checking who it was.

"Levi." I answered into the receiver.

"Good morning, Short Stack!" My lungs expanded in a deep sigh of regret. Of course, my premonition was correct. Hanji's loud greeting gave me slight nausea.

"Four eyes." I wasn't exactly sure why, but Hanji and I were very keen on using nicknames sometimes. We call Erwin "Captain America" because the resemblance between the two are scary accurate. Either that, or "Eyebrows" because let's face it, they could be mistaken as caterpillars. Mine was usually something about my height or dark emotions. I usually called Hanji something like "Four Eyes", pertaining to her large glasses. There were others, but so many I couldn't name them all unless I wanted to be here for at least an hour.

"We're still hanging out with Erwin today right? I feel like it's been forever since I've seen my babes!" She claimed dramatically.

"I'm pretty sure we got together at least a week ago." I reminded her.

"That's a long time, for me." Hearing her pout made me roll my cool grey eyes.

"Separation issues, much..." I muttered under my breath.

"What? Sorry, I didn't hear you." Hanji giggled.

"I said that yes, we are hanging out today."

"Oh, yay! I'll text Erwin to meet at the usual spot then?" She cheered. I sighed again and replied with a yes. She said she'd see me soon and hung up. I put on my black combat boots and called goodbye to my mother. Hopefully, Hanji won't be too energetic today. A few minutes later, I was out the door and down the dead end street. As gracefully as I could, I wound around the plants covering the trail and went down it. The smells and sounds of nature always gave me a sense of peace. I cracked a smile as I found the woods somewhat comforting. It was a shame they had to be so dirty. Eventually, I came into the clearing with a drop off over a small, albeit beautiful, waterfall. Rushing water reached my ears and I breathed in and out deeply. I payed attention to all of the things triggering my senses. The smell of nature, the sound of water, the sight of bright color, the feel of my heart beating throughout my whole body. That one was the most active.

"Levi!" A loud, high pitched yell echoed off of the trees. Just as sudden as the relaxation started, it stopped. Hanji always seemed to be able to ruin a perfectly quiet moment without even trying.

"Yeah, Shit Stain, it's me. Do you really have to yell all the damn time?"I spun around to the tall, gangly girl with auburn hair in a messy ponytail stumbling down the path. Her eyes were wide and looked even larger through her glasses that resembled soup bowls more than anything.

"You know I'm a generally loud person." Hanji replied with as she made it to the clearing without slipping and eating shit, which would have been absolutely hilarious to see. I would laugh myself into exhaustion. She ran towards me and flung herself in my direction.

"No-" I got cut off by catching a giggling mess.

"I missed you, you Grumbling Grouch!" She exclaimed, keeping a tight lock around my shoulders. I groaned and tried pushing her off, but it was no use.

"Hanji, really..." A cool voice said from the direction of the trail. I knew immediately it was Erwin. He always kept himself composed no matter what. The amount of girls crushing on him was endless and relentless. I swore he had his own fan club at school. He appeared around a tree trunk. He wore a classic, white tee-shirt and a pair of long jeans with holes in the knees. His biceps were unbelievably toned, as was his whole body. The man's chest was rock solid. "You know how Levi likes his personal space." The light, blue eyes matched his white-blond hair that was parted to the side and pushed back.

I wanted to thank Erwin a million times for getting the beast to release me from her grasp. She finally composed herself and sat on the bench we lugged here at least three years ago. The blond smiled and greeted me.

"Hello, Levi. How have you been?" He asked, wondering over towards the bench. I scratched the back of my head and sighed.

"Just fine. You, Mr. America?" I asked with a small smirk. I was rewarded with his signature blindingly white smile and chuckle. The man just oozed charm all the time.

"Fine, as well." Erwin replied.

"Anything new in your guy's lives?" Hanji asked, swinging her legs on the bench and smiling deviously.

"Nope." Erwin said, stepping closer. I stayed quiet. I didn't want them to think Eren was anything I was counting on, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about him and his color-changing eyes. The way his dark brown hair frayed just over his eyes and curling at the base of his neck. How his skin is the perfect shade of olive.

"Levi?" I heard. Blinking slowly, I looked up to a confused Erwin and Hanji. Erwin was waving his hand in my face.

"What?" I grunted, embarrassed for getting lost in my thoughts.

"You weren't listening, which means there's something on your mind." Erwin concluded with a smile.

"Spill, you Angry Gnome!" Hanji demanded, standing and getting in my face. I threw together the most irritated glare I could muster and shot it at the two.

"It's nothing worth getting your panties twisted into a knot for." I turned around and hoped to hide the panicked expression I knew was on my face. If they knew about Eren, I would never hear the end of it.

"Is it..." Erwin began, but stopped. "No, it can't be." He continued to mumble to himself and it only spread my patience thinner.

"What're your thoughts, Captain?" Hanji asked Erwin. He hummed thoughtfully.

"Well... The first option I thought of was... a boy." It was no secret I was gay, even though I've never really acted on it. I just know. Sure I'd get little crushes on attractive boys at school,or even rarer, an interest. I decided Eren was an interest, but could you blame me?

"No way! Do you really think Levi has attracted the attention of someone other than the two of us and some acquaintances at school?" Hanji gasped dramatically.

I spun around. "Oh, quit the bullshit." I snapped. Hanji was giggling to herself and Erwin had a faint smile on his face. My cheeks turned red. "His name is Eren." Hanji gasped and jumps a few inches in the air. She squealed and clapped her hands in a fluid motion. Erwin had the epitome of surprised expressions.

"I was right?" I heard him mutter.

"Is he tall? Is he gorgeous? Is he tan or pale? Does he go to school with us?" Hanji rambled on questions and questions.

"I'm not telling you anything else." I then said. There were exasperated groans from both.

"We won't make fun of you!" Hanji pleaded.

"You're aloud to share anything you want with us, but I do indeed want to know about this 'Eren' boy." Captain America said with dashing features.

"Come on. I need details." They kept hounding me and it was incredibly annoying. I didn't know that much about Eren other than he's cute, nice, and interesting. I don't really even know enough to consider this a crush. I mean, he did confide in me about five minutes after we met about his mother and I talked about my dad, something I don't even do with Hanji. There's a mutual feel of trust between us and it was odd. I usually kept to myself about a lot of things but with Eren I just want to talk about them all night long. Is it weird forming an attachment to someone you met only once?

"He's different." I said and paused. What else? I couldn't say anything about his eyes. He may not want people to know, and the chances of them even believing me were slim to none. "A good different." I looked over at Hanji and Erwin, who were grinning stupidly and acting like parents who finds out about their kids first date. I scoffed and began stomping my way to the path up the edge of the woods.

"Levi, wait!"

"I can't tell you anything else! I only just met him. We barely know each other!" I spun around at the attest of a high pitched whine from Hanji's loud mouth.

"At least tell us what he looks like. Surely you can do at least that." Erwin said, smiling at me when I wanted to retch. I rolled my eyes, something I do quite often.

"He's tall. Kind of thin, but kind of muscly. Broad shoulders. I think he may have some kind of Native American blood because his skin is olive looking. Eren's hair is ridiculously curly, messy and dark. He has a lot of it." I paused, trying to think of his face. His face was the best part. "His jawline is pretty strong and his cheeks are so smooth. And oh man..." I grumbled, getting way into this. "His eyes..." I couldn't even describe his eyes to the degree of amazing that they were. "They're a bright emerald green." I finished. "There. Now, I'm leaving." I turned around, my cheeks actually generating an unwanted heat.

"Awe!" Hanji swooned. Erwin chuckled deeply.

"Go get him, Levi!" He called after me as I was halfway out of the woods. I would do no such thing. I stomped onto the empty concrete road. My God, they were annoying sometimes. Why pound on me like a freaking hammer? What's the point?

It least I know they'd be accepting of Eren.

The next day, I woke up at nine as usual, fed Titan and showered. The shower consisted of more scrubbing than usual. I wouldn't want Eren to think I was dirty. When I got out of the shower, I brushed my soaked hair back. A few short strands fell onto my forehead. I put on a black tee-shirt that hung loosely around my hips and midsection. Pants wise, I chose a pair of dark red jeans that ended just below my knees. I folded them up once and decided my white lace up converse that came up to my ankles would make this a nice look. At 10:30, I went into the dining room and kissed my mother on the cheek. She smiled up from her cup of coffee.

"Good morning, dear. Are you ready to go?" She asked, setting it down onto the tabletop.

"Yeah." I said nonchalantly, grabbing an apple from the fruit basket in the kitchen.

"Are you excited?" I looked at her, confused. "To see that Eren boy." Why was everyone concerned about me and Eren? Seriously, nothing was going to happen. I doubt he even likes guys. All the good guys are straight, usually. At least the ones I know.

"Mother..." I groaned. She giggled and grabbed her car keys off of the rack.

We drove up to the Jaeger's house. Dr. Jaeger was okay but... there was something off about him. He was a good doctor and everything, but sometimes he gives me the chills. I slowly chewed on my apple and thought about the wary looks Eren gave his father, like he made him uneasy as well. My mother dropped me off, giving me a knowing look. With a small glare, I slammed the passenger door shut.

A maid answered the door and I greeted her.

"Eren, please don't be so difficult." I heard the familiar voice say from the living room off to the side. Eren stood, leaning against the piano with his arms tensely crossed over his chest. His father stood across from him with a strained facial expression.

"No, I'm not telling you anything about her." He replied, not looking up from the spot on the floor where he stared.

"Why not? What do you have to protect?" Dr. Jaeger seemed to be losing his patience with his son, his voice raising. I'd never seen it before, usually him being soft spoken. Eren looked up at him, his eyes darker than I would've expected. They were a murky, pine green.

"That doesn't concern you." He answered, anger hanging onto his words.

"Like hell!" His father broke, screaming in Eren's face. I wanted to jump in and get him to back off. Whatever it was, Eren was obviously in discomfort. Noting the heavy air, Dr. Jaeger's hand clenched and loosened at his side, knuckles white. The idea that he may even hit his son popped into my head. I should have brushed it off immediately, but for some reason I wouldn't put it past him.

"Dr. Jaeger." I said into the room, voice stern. Eren blinked and looked over at me. His eyes brightened significantly. "Sorry to interrupt, but I believe we have an appointment today."

Dr. Jaeger cleared his throat and turned my way while adjusting his lapels. Any past evidence of anger dissipated. "Ah, Levi. I apologize. Of course, lets head to my office, shall we?" He moved towards the double doors of his office, while I stared after him in disgust.

"Hey, sorry about that..." Eren said suddenly, appearing next to me out of no where. I turned to look at him. His eyes were a deep turqoise. Not bright, but how was they supposed to look while just arguing with his father? Bags formed below them, slowly turning purplish. Does he have issues sleeping? It seemed he had gotten a hair cut since I'd last seen him. It was still curly and messy, but damn it looked good. He wore a grey, loose fit tank top with long jeans that hugged his legs divinely.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I was... more concerned for you, honestly." Looking away awkwardly, I scratched the back of my neck while doing so.

"You shouldn't be." Glancing back at him, Eren shrugged his muscled shoulders. "He doesn't scare me. I've dealt with worse."

"But still." I sighed. "Right, well I ought to go into this appointment. Talk to you after?" Eren smiled at my words, eyes swirling with a different variation. He bobbed his head up and down in response.

Eren

Levi went through the double doors, shutting them behind him. I sighed stress-fully. Why did my dad suddenly become such an asshole? I'd never seen that much rage in one man before, especially him. He always seemed to calm and collected. But his eyes were enraged and I noticed how much he looked like he wanted to hit something. Or someone. Like me. I rubbed my temples tiredly.

Maybe I could take a nap before Levi was done with his session. But what if I overslept and missed him? I suppose I could ask Mikasa to wake me up when he was done... Would she? I could only ask. Stepping up the stairs, I found Mikasa in her room with quiet music playing and reading a book. I knocked, she looked up.

"Hey, what's up?" She sat up on her bed and put her book down onto her lap.

"I was going to take a nap until Levi was done with his session, but I was afraid I'd oversleep. Can you wake me up when he's done?" I asked hopefully. Mikasa looked at me for a while with narrowed eyes.

"Sure." She said uneasily. Suddenly she waved me off. Furrowing my brow, I nodded my thanks and left her bedroom. I went down the hall and into mine, ready to at least try and fall asleep.

Levi

I left my session feeling somewhat refreshed. Talking about your problems does seem to help at least some. I went into the living room and expected to see Eren. When he wasn't there, I began thinking. Mikasa came into the living room while carrying a bowl of orange slices.

"Hey, Mikasa." I said. She looked up and I swore I saw the remnants of smirk on her face. When Mikasa shows and form of emotion on her face, it's usually not a good sign. "Have you seen Eren? We were supposed to hang out after my session..."

"He's up in his room sleeping. He told me to tell you that he was going to take a nap. You can go and wake him up if you want. I'm sure he'd want you to." I stared at her odd expression I just couldn't place. Was that a good idea? Probably not. Did I really want to hang out with him? Yes, I did. I'd looked forward to it since last week.

"Where's his room?" I relented. She smiled slightly larger before motioning me to follow her. Somehow, I knew this was going to be embarrassing. Mikasa opened the door we stopped at. My heart began beating quicker once I saw Eren. He was curled into a ball on his side, on top of the covers on a queen sized bed. The room was silent, allowing his deep and constant breaths to reach my ears. For a moment, I just simply stared at his sleeping figure. Mikasa was suddenly gone, leaving me with the one kid that made me more nervous than anyone before. I gulped. Slowly, I walked into the room and quietly shut the door behind me. He hadn't moved. I approached the bed and kept my sights on him. Now that his face was entirely slack compared to when he was awake, I noticed how utterly tired it was. Bags under his eyes were prominent, his cheeks sunken and pale. What went on in his head? Is his suffering so horrible? On it's own accord, my hand reached out and brushed a piece of oak brown hair from his cheekbone. When my finger brushed his skin, his face relaxed slightly. Maybe subconsciously knowing someone was here and watching over him gave some type of comfort.

Drawing my hand away, I tried to decide if I should really wake him up. It would be awkward, no less. Why wouldn't Mikasa just do it? No doubt he asked her to wake him up herself, but she wants me to do it? She obviously has something against me so it would be imperative she tries to embarrass me in front of Eren as much as possible. I sighed quietly. What a manipulator she is...

The rustle of fabric brought my attention back to Eren. He was now rolling over continuously. Mumbling under his breath soon became louder. Sweat began to slick his skin and his breathing became rapid. Was he having a nightmare?

It all made sense. He didn't sleep because he didn't want to, he had perpetual nightmares. I've had experiences with them as well, everyone has. But not so bad that I could never sleep. I guess now would be a good time to wake him up. A look of pain overtook the once calm face. His fingers twisted into the blanket while rapid breathing heaved his chest up and down. He really needed to wake up.

"Eren" I said, kind of loudly. I took my hand and shook his arm. I jumped back as he gasped and shot forward. My face froze in complete dismay as his eyes were glowing the brightest blue I've ever seen. The room, coated in a blue hue for a few seconds, soon changed back as Eren leaned his face in the bedspread. I stood with my arms out beside me. What the fuck was that?!

Eren breathed deeply, in and out. His chest expanded through his back.

"...Eren?" I asked. He jumped backwards, then crawling backwards to the far end of the bed.

"Levi?!" He practically screamed. His cheeks flooded with color. We simply stared at each other for moments. He still gulped air down like it was going to run out and his eyes still looked crazy.

"Um, sorry..." I apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you." Brown tufts of hair moving with him, his head swung back and forth as he composed himself.

"No, don't worry about it." He paused, a look of utter confusion overcoming his features. "Not to be rude, but why are you in here? Mikasa was supposed to wake me up when you got done with my dad." So I was right. She was behind this.

"Oh, just Mikasa being a manipulative little shit. Nothing new." I shrugged. Suddenly, I turned serious. "You were having a nightmare." I confirmed. Eren's eyes were a very dark and clouded pine. Said eyes avoided me.

Eren climbed out of bed and went to his dresser. He pulled out a red tank top and threw it on his bed. "It happens." He mumbled. My cheeks burned a little as he ripped his shirt off to replace it with the red one. It seemed fairly obvious that he didn't want to talk about it.

"You don't have to talk about it. I hate it when people try to force me to talk about things that bother me. It makes me mad." He looked up at me. In the time he woke up, his irises had grown a little brighter. He smiled slightly.

"Thanks." I guess I somehow knew how to treat him. It seemed like he had a lot of the coping mechanisms I do. He doesn't like being pushed. Maybe I was finally realizing why I can deal with him so well.

"Do you want to go to the pond?" He asked. It seemed he wanted to, so who was I to deny?

"Sure. Lets go."


	5. Chapter 5

Afterlife  
Chapter 5  
Eren  
Levi and I trekked up the path, the silence between us comfortable and somewhat deafening. Birds chirped as the sun shone proudly in the sky, lighting the entirety of our surroundings. Glancing over at the guy who had just witnessed a moment of my life I’m not proud of, he just walked next to me with his hands buried in his front pockets. I was not going to forgive Mikasa for that.   
We continued along the path for a few more minutes before Levi decided to break the silence.  
“So, are you going to go to my school when summer break is over?” He asked. To be honest, I wasn’t sure. There’s so much I don’t know, not going to school for the majority of my life. I probably don’t even have enough knowledge to be in high school.  
“I don’t know…” I replied. I wish I could, but the chances were slim.  
“Well, it’s the only high school in the district, so probably.” He said. That still meant nothing for me.  
“Um…” I wanted to tell him how frustrating it was to not be smart enough for the age that you are.  
“What is it?”  
“I’m kind of behind… on school stuff. I haven’t gone in while.” I scratched the back of my neck and made sure to not make eye contact.  
“How long is a while?” His voice sounded disturbed.  
“....My whole life.” He stopped walking and so did I. I turned to look at him, but I couldn’t. So, I settled for my feet.  
“If you’re joking, I’m not laughing.” Levi said with a slight edge to his tone. I sighed.  
“I suppose I should explain, but not until we reach the pond.” I turned back around and continued walking. For a minute, I didn’t think he’d follow. But, soon enough, his feet fell in step with my own. I didn’t know if I really wanted to tell him. I told Mikasa and Armin because we have at least some connections, but I hardly know Levi.   
The pond came into view, anxiety eating at my stomach. I noted the bench a little ways away, so I went to it and sat. Levi sat across from me, but he didn’t say anything. I stared at the way my fingers traced the pattern of wood along the tabletop. I began explaining my life, pretty much in the same way I told Mikasa and Armin. My throat threatened to close a couple of times, so I’d stop to regain the courage to continue. Levi didn’t speak the entire time. Every time I’d stop, he’d allow me to calm down. Eventually, I finished. Although, I was emotionally exhausted and couldn’t bare eye contact. Stinging in my eyes indicated they had changed color soon after I started telling my tale. They were probably very dark and lifeless.  
“Eren…” Levi mumbled. My elbows leaned on the table with my hands basically ripping at my hair. I didn’t reply. I jumped slightly at the contact on one of my hands. I looked through my bangs to see Levi with a very sad look on his face, one hand gripping my fingers. For some reason, I liked his touch. It made me feel like I wasn’t alone. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to live like that. It’s far from healthy. You have people here who care about you and want you to feel like the past doesn’t define you. Me, including.”   
I took deep breaths as his words resonated within me.   
“Sometimes, you have to let the past go before you can get better.” Was he referring to the nightmares?  
“I… I want to move on. I want to be able to go a day without forgetting that I’m not living that way anymore.” I admitted. Why was it so easy to talk to him? It’s not even this easy with my own sister.   
“Good.” He sighed, suddenly pulling his hand back as if he forgot it was still squeezing mine. “I have an idea.”  
“What?” I asked, Levi bearing a small smile.  
“I can tutor you so you can catch up. You already seem pretty knowledgeable, so I have a feeling it might not be that hard. How much did your mom teach you?”  
I thought for a minute. Did he really want to do this?  
“Well, she taught me a lot of things. Basic math, English.”  
“From what I can tell, you have maybe about as much vocabulary as an eighth grader. That’s not too bad considering you’ve never been to school.” Levi muttered to himself. I lost my gaze in the pond, staring in it’s deep depths. Suddenly, there was this horrid pain in my head, making it feel like my head would split in two any second. I groaned, pushing my hands on either side of my head, as if to keep it together. "Eren? what's wrong?"  
My groans turned to screams of agony as something made it’s way into my mind.   
I felt cold ground hit my side, as I must have slid from my seat on the bench. There was loud, concerned yelling coming from someone. It was Levi, right?  
“Eren! Eren, what’s wrong?! Eren…! Er...en…!” Levi’s voice morphed into a different one. It sounded like my fathers. My vision turned to something different.  
I looked up to the sky to see a large, full moon hanging overhead. I stood at the edge of the pond, the water moving slightly with the biting cold wind nipping at my small ankles. I felt strange. Not myself. My eyesight was blurry and it hurt to blink. I rubbed my wrists where there were lacerations all the way around. Father did something to me and I didn’t like it. He scared me, so I ran. I broke out of his binds, stole his key to the basement door, and ran. Of course, he was in the woods, calling my name.  
“Eren!” His voice bounced off the trees again. He was mad. I could tell. I didn’t like Father when he was mad. His voice was growing closer, and my panic grew. He bursted from the trees, his wild eyes like those of a lion hunting its prey. I began to run for the opposite side of the pond and into the the trees. He caught me just before I reached them. His large, meaty hands grabbed my arms and he pulled, hard.  
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” He screamed. Tears welled in my eyes, burning down my cheeks.  
“Daddy, you’re hurting me!” I cried. He smacked me in the face, shocking me enough to halt my screaming.  
“That’s what you get for disobeying!” He picked me up, me starting to squirm from his tight grip. He walked over to the pond. I screamed.  
“No, Daddy!” I yelled. Tears wouldn’t stop and my chest was heaving so hard I thought I’d throw up. His arms extended my wrestling figure over the dingy waters. And he let go. I dropped like a weight and sunk to the bottom like my stomach was filled with bricks. Water entered every orifice of my body. The gross, dismal and algae filled water slithered down my throat and up my nose with its dark tendrils. Just when my vision had begun to dissipate, a hand reached down and grabbed my shirt. My father tugged me up and let me cough up the water that had entered my lungs without consent.   
“Don’t run next time.” He ordered in my ear. I shook, a mix of unadulterated fear and freezing cold wracked my body. I buried my face in the grass and hugged myself.   
“Eren!” A voice called once more. It didn’t sound like my father this time. When I brought my face up from the grass, it was no longer night. It was complete daytime and I wasn’t wet. I was cold, but not in the way I was before. I was cold with horror and confusion.  
My father wasn’t there, but a familiar, attractive boy with raven black hair and bluish-gray eyes. His face showed utter dismay. “Holy shit, Eren. What the fuck, are you okay?” His hands had taken a hold of my face and I swore I could almost feel the sting of a slap.  
“I…” My chest rose and fell harshly, the memory making me suddenly very upset. Wetness rolled down my face without sign of stopping. I rolled onto my other side, away from Levi and curled into a ball. I cried for god knows how long, so much I could barely breathe.  
Levi never left my side, he even hugged me. As this happened, he ran his fingers through my hair and eventually, I stopped.   
With no comments, he helped me back to the house, basically supporting all of my weight. We ran into no one as we entered the house. He brought me up to my room and helped me into bed. I fell asleep instantly.  
I woke up the next day. I’d slept a very long time, and I was far from used to it. I also didn’t have any nightmares that I remembered. When I sat up, still in my clothes from the day before, there was a glass of water on my bedside and a note. I drank most of the water and picked the paper up. My name was written on it.   
Unfolding it, I saw it was from Levi. His handwriting was a pretty cursive, like a girls. It was incredibly endearing.   
There was his name, written above a phone number. Under it said “call me if you want”.   
I want to. I should. The last I remembered, I was curled up on grass, screaming in pain. I got up, showered and put on a pair of sweatpants and a tee shirt. When I left the confines of my bedroom, I wandered down the hall. A clock just above the stairs told me it was ten in the morning. Breakfast was just starting, so I went for it. My stomach growled for food, considering it’d been awhile since I last ate. When I entered the dining room, Mikasa stood abruptly and rushed to my side.  
“Eren, thank God. You’ve been out for a long time. Are you alright? Levi said you collapsed by the pond.” She grabbed my arm. I sighed.   
“I’m fine. Maybe not sleeping much just caught up with me.” But I knew that wasn’t the truth. The awful memory took a toll on my body. That was a memory, it had to be. I remember the feeling of my father's harmful grip. The feeling of water invading my body made shivers run down my spine.  
I sat in my normal seat. My father looked up from the paper and smiled. My throat tasted like bile.  
“I’m glad you’re okay, Eren. Levi seemed quite worried as well.” He was all smiles and calmness. The look in his eyes when he found younger me at the pond seemed too different, so far away, He reached over to pat my head, and I flinched. I actually flinched. I stared at his hand, the one that hurt me so much before.   
He noticed my discomfort and pulled his hand back. Suddenly, my food didn’t look so appetizing anymore. I ate a couple of bites and excused myself. No one stopped me. As I passed through the living room, a land-line phone captured my attention. I swiped it off the charger and went straight up to my room.  
The note still rested on my bed from when I read it. I repeated the pattern of the numbers on the paper into the phone. Staring down the call button, I hesitated. What if it was too early?  
I shook my head, thinking of ridiculous things again. I held it up to my ear, listening to the continuous beeps. He won’t answer, will he?  
“Hello?” The unmistakable voice said as the rings stopped. My mouth opened. Before this, I hadn’t even thought about what I was going to say. “Hello?” He said again, a little irritated.  
“Levi?” I said. There was a little intake of breath on the other line.  
“Eren! Hey.” His demeanor completely changed, like he was happy it was me calling.  
“Hi, um, so-” I stopped at the sound of commotion in the background.  
“Levi give me the phone!” I heard a women screech.  
“No way four eyed freak, get the fuck off of me!” He growled. “Erwin, would you control this wild beast!”   
“Hanji…” A calm and collected voice warned.   
“Hanji!” Levi screamed.  
“Hello, is this Eren?” A female voice said over the line. She was giggling as Levi seemed to be trying to get the phone from her.  
“Uh, yes?” I said. I was so confused.   
“Don’t talk to him!” I heard from Levi.  
“Oh, my! He’s pretty mad at me! I think it’s dangerous for that much blood flow to go to someone’s face all at once!” She said. “Anyways, I just wanted to tell you Levi thinks you’re-” She was cut off by a loud crash.   
“H-hello?” I said. What the hell was going on?  
“S-sorry! Eren, are you still there?” Levi said  
“Yeah.” I told him. He sighed.  
“Good, I locked myself in my room. Fucking Hanji…” He muttered the last part and I couldn’t help but laugh some.  
“Friends of yours?” I asked.   
“Unfortunately…” He replied. What was that girl-- Hanji?-- going to say? Levi thinks I’m...what? “Anyways, what’s up?”  
“Um, well I just woke up from yesterday and I saw the note you left. Nice handwriting, by the way.” I chuckled.   
“Yeah yeah, I know. It’s girly or whatever…” He mumbled.  
“It’s okay. I like it.” I cleared my throat. “Okay, kind of getting off topic. I wanted to apologize for yesterday, and thank you for helping me. So, sorry for yesterday and thanks.”   
“Ah, it’s fine. I’m just glad you’re alright. What was that anyways? You pretty much passed the fuck out. It scared me. And you looked like you were in a lot of pain.”  
I paused. Should I tell him? I mean, I think he deserved to know, considering how much I put him through.  
“...Eren?”  
“Yeah, yeah. Um, I think it was a memory from before my mother took me away from my dad. It was…” I shivered, placing a hand against my cheek where he’d hit me. “Not good,”  
He hummed thoughtfully. “Does it have anything to do with your dad?”  
“How’d you know?”  
Levi sighed. “Dr. Jaeger just gives me bad vibes. It’s like he’s hiding something big from everyone. Like a wolf in sheep's clothing.” Levi admitted. Now that he said it, It made sense.  
“I don’t trust him, Levi. You’re right, there’s something up with him.” Until yesterday when that memory returned to me, I didn’t have a reason to alienate my father. But now with that under my sleeve, I didn’t have a reason to trust him. Did I really trust him at all from the beginning?  
“Do you have a reason for thinking that?” Levi asked. This was the time I should tell him.   
“A little while ago, Mikasa told me a story about something that happened when I was young. My mom woke up in the middle of the night to see me gone. She went all over the house and couldn’t find me. Then, my dad left and came back with me, but I was soaking wet. I thought maybe I was just a weird kid who ran away at night and went to the pond. Yesterday, I remembered what actually happened when my dad found me at the pond. I was running from him. He found me…” I stopped because this was when it got bad. “H-he hit me. He told me that was what I got for disobeying. Then, he picked me up and threw me in the pond. I couldn’t swim, so I began to drown. He pulled me out just in time and then presumably took me back to the house.” My voice was shaking by the time I finished and I had pulled my knees to my chest. I curled up on my bed and tried to even out my breathing.   
“That doesn’t seem like something he could do, but… I can’t put it passed him. Don’t worry. You’re too old for him to hurt you now. And I wouldn’t let him.” I sighed and smiled into the receiver.  
“Thank you.” I mumbled. “Really, thank you for everything you’re doing for me.” I honestly couldn’t think of any reason why I should deserve his attention. He’s the only person other than my mother who I could talk to about pretty much anything. Before, I had so many things going on inside my head I thought it’d explode. It just feels so comfortable to talk to Levi like this.  
“Hey, don’t worry about it. I like talking to you and helping you, actually. And that doesn’t happen for me often. I don’t even talk to my other friends as much as you.”  
Other friends? Does that insinuate we’re friends?  
“Levi, are we…” I gulped, hoping I wasn’t overstepping any boundaries. “Are we friends?”  
He laughed and my cheeks warmed. I was grateful that he wasn’t here in person to see.  
“I’d like to think so. Is that alright with you?” I sat up and smiled hugely. I hummed in agreement, much too happy to speak. “Good. Oh! I forgot to ask yesterday, but would you like to come to dinner at my house sometime soon? My mom’s cooking is pretty amazing.”   
I didn’t think I could answer any faster. “Yeah, sure. When?”  
“Is next Friday good? You can come to my house when my mom picks me up from my session with your dad.” I agreed. “Awesome. Well, I better go. I can practically feel my friends breathing down my neck from the other side of my door. Couple of idiots…” He sounded exasperated, but in a way that told me he loved them anyways.  
“Okay. Goodbye, Levi.” I said, still smiling like fool.  
“Bye, brat.” I thought the term was of affection, so I let it go. We hung up and I fell back onto my bed. Should I be worried about how attached to him I was becoming?  
~  
Levi  
I couldn’t stop the glowing grin spreading across my face after I hung up with Eren. Was I beginning to really like him? I couldn’t tell if this would lead to good or bad. At the moment, I didn’t care. I was basically walking on a cloud. I put my phone in my pocket and wiped the smile off of my face. Time to deal with those assholes.  
I whipped the door open to see them both on the floor, their heads turned as though they had just been listening through the door.   
“Got you.” I growled. They stared up and smiled guiltily. I grabbed both of their ears with my forefinger and thumb and dragged them into the living room while they hissed in pain and mumbled “ow”. I threw them towards the couch and stood with my hands on my hips.  
“You’re not to show your faces around here next Friday, got it?” I was dead serious. I didn’t want them to say something to Eren to scare him away, mostly Hanji.  
“Oh, come on! We want to meet him!” Hanji begged.  
“No! You’re only going to embarrass me!” I rejected. Suddenly, the air in the room turned serious.  
“Levi, please hear us out.” Even Erwin decided to speak. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. They took that as the go ahead to talk.  
“Okay, I think we understand now. When you were talking to him, you sounded so happy. I could hear you smiling. You don’t smile often, either. So, we will let you take this where you think it should go. We just want to meet the kid who makes our little grump smile.” Hanji said, clapping her hands together. I sighed.  
"Fine, you can meet him. But please, don't fuck this up for me." Hanji jumped up from the couch and hugged me hard.   
"Tell us more about him." Captain America said, smiling his crooked smile. I pushed Hanji off of me, regaining my personal space.  
"He's my doctors son." I said. They nodded. What, they wanted more? "He's kind of shy at first. When you get to know him, he's really nice and self aware. Although, he has some issues, but I plan on helping him with them." I wasn't going into detail about his past because it's obviously something he likes to keep quiet about.  
"That's nice, but Levi, don't get the idea that he's 'broken' and that you can 'fix' him. It doesn't work like that." Erwin said. That wasn't what I was trying to do, was it? I just want to help him and be there for him. No one else is, from what I can tell. Maybe Mikasa, but she might not even know everything.  
"I know that, I'm not stupid." I ran my fingers through my hair, tugging at the roots. I'd never been so frustrated about liking a guy before. What is it about him that's just so likable? He's just so nice and quiet. I thought maybe at first it was because we were alike, but now I know we're very different. Opposites, almost. I was thankful for that. I couldn't handle being around someone like me when I could barely handle myself. Of course, I also didn't have color changing eyes. Or ones that glow.  
To be honest, I'd been putting off what happened when I woke him up. How am I supposed to understand what that was? His eyes are already odd, but that blue glow... It was off putting. What did it mean? Does he know that happens? Does it happen often? How did he get like that in the first place?  
Eren probably wonders how that happened too, but he may be too afraid to find out. I was beyond curious, but I wasn't about to go snooping through other people's business. He may not want to know. And if he wants to stay oblivious, then there's nothing I can do about it.   
"Levi?" Erwin said. I blinked as I realized I'd been staring aimlessly at the floor and creasing my brow. Looking up, I saw hanji and Erwin both confused.  
"Yeah?" I said, clearing my throat and trying to act more naturally.  
"Are you okay? You were thinking pretty hard, it looked like." Hanji said. I waved her off.  
I think about him too much.  
A week passed in no time at all. It was Friday and it was the day I got to have dinner at my house with Eren. And the day he was meeting my friends. You could say I was nervous.   
I was in the middle of my session with Dr. Jaeger, acting normal and like I didn't think he was some secret terrorist or something. Or that he would hit his own child.  
We were pretty much done when I remembered something I wanted to talk to him about.  
"Eren told me about his past." I said suddenly. Dr. Jaeger's head snapped up from his notebook.  
"Really? Did he say anything about his mother?" He seemed quick to hear about her. He had said something's about what she was like, but I recalled when he wanted Eren to tell him about her. Eren refused. He sensed my hesitation.  
He took off his glasses and set them on the desk.  
"Levi, I understand you and my son are friends. Maybe more. But, I need to tell you that he's not a stable person. His emotions are everywhere all the time, he's withdrawn, hardly sleeps and sometimes you just can't understand his thought process. I do love him, but you didn't see him after the accident. He can be dangerous, almost a completely different side of the Eren you know. If provoked correctly, he becomes violent. It's okay if you're friends, but i wouldn't trust him as much as you do. It could turn around and bite you one day." If you replaced Erens name with his, it would pretty much match. There's no way I'd trust Dr. Jaeger over Eren, not after what Eren remembered about him.  
"Thanks for the warning." I sneered. He was wrong. There's no way Eren is like that. Even if he was, I'd still find a way to be his friend. "Anyways..." I rolled my eyes, seriously miffed he'd talk about Eren like that. "I suggested tutoring Eren in the stuff he doesn't know so he can enter high school. He's all for it."   
Dr. Jaeger looked at me for a long time before rubbing his chin and leaning back in his chair.  
"I'm not quite sure how far along he is in his studies. It may be difficult." He said.  
"I'm willing to help him as much as he needs." I was dead set on this. Having Eren in school and seeing him everyday sounds like a dream. It'd make school so much better, even though it wasn't that bad to begin with. It'd make it more exciting for me.  
"Fine. I'll pay you as well." I was about to deny, but was I so stupid as to turn down money for helping and spending time with my crush? No, I wasn't. It was perfect.  
"Alright." I nodded. "He told you he's going to my house today, right?"  
He nodded and smiled some. "Yes, I'm glad he's getting out of the property. Maybe a change of scenery is what he needs."  
He confuses me. At first, he basically pushed us together, then he warns me about Eren having a bad temper and that I shouldn't trust him, now he's happy Eren is going to my house? Fuck, he's backwards.  
I blinked at him and narrowed my eyes.  
"Okay then. I'm going now." I said, standing.  
"Don't forget about what I said. Just always remember it." He said with a suddenly serious expression and tone. I shook my head and left the room.  
Eren was coming down the stairs when I closed the doors behind me. He had a towel over his head, drying his hair from a shower. His eyes were light green, like the inside of a lime. When he smiled at me, I swore I felt my knees weaken.   
“Hi.” He greeted me, stopping in front of my, pushing his hair back from his eyes. I couldn’t help but quirk one side of my mouth upwards. He looked much healthier suddenly. His skin was glowing tan. The dark circles under his eyes were gone without a trace. Cheeks were no longer sunken. All around, he just looked so good.  
Eren wore a pair of jean shorts that ended right above his knees and a plain white tee shirt. I wasn’t sure why, but I really liked him in simple shirts like that.  
“Hey.” I said, hopefully not sounding like I’d just been checking him out. Everything Dr. Jaeger said dissapeared from my mind as soon as I saw him. Wow, was I love-struck or what?  
“So, what are we going to do when we go to your house?” He asked, tilting his head like a puppy.  
“Well…” I started, breaking eye contact. “Alright, here’s the thing. My friends, the ones that were at my house when you called me the other day, they demanded to meet you. And, trust me, when they don’t get what they want, they don’t relent. Do you mind?”   
He laughed and went to the bathroom on this floor and threw the towel in the hamper.  
“I’ll meet them. Maybe they have some embarrassing stories of you.” He turned around, me accidentally being way too close. I backed up immediately.   
“Unfortunately, they do. That’s what happens when you’re friends with people for a long time.” I sighed and acted like I wasn’t flustered over how close we’d been. He rubbed his hands as if he was an evil villain with a master plan.  
“Good, good.” He said, smiling evilly. Even that was attractive. Mentally, I slapped myself.  
Get your mind out of the damn gutter, Levi.  
My mom texted me, saying she was here. I told Eren and he went upstairs to Mikasa’s room and knocked.  
“I’m going.” He told her, like she was his parent or something. He probably didn't want to talk to his dad as much as humanly possible. I understood.   
By this point, I would have left Dr. Jaeger's care and gone to someone else. The only thing keeping me there is Eren.  
“Alright. Call me if something goes wrong.” She looked at me with an almost unnoticeable glare. I returned it.  
“Stop being kids.” Eren chided us, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me along. If it were Hanji, I would have shrugged her hand off immediately. But it was Eren, so it didn’t bother me in the least.  
We got to my mom’s car when Eren hesitated. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. His hand rested on the door handle.  
“Eren?” I asked him. I was worried. “What’s wrong?”  
“What if… What if your friends and mom don’t like me?” I almost didn’t hear him, his voice so low. I shook my head and placed my hand on his back.  
“They will. Trust me. If I like you, then they definitely will.” It was true. I was hard to get along with sometimes and it was even harder for me to get along with others.  
“Really?” Eren looked up at me, his eyes a strange mix of and uneasy pine green and the color from before.  
“Yes.” I was sure of it. There wasn’t anything to not like about him.  
“Okay, I’ll give it a try.” He said, forcing a smile past his doubts. I smiled in return. We got in the car.  
“Hello, dear. Hello, Eren.” She smiled at him in the rear view mirror. He acted shy, which was alright. My mom understood how he was. “How was your appointment?"  
"Fine." I didn't like talking about Dr.Jaeger. She must have read that from me, because she didn't ask about my short answer.  
"Thank you for allowing me to come over today." Eren said to my mother, me smirking and shaking my head. How could he not think she would like him?  
"It's no problem. I'm glad Levi's made a new... Friend." I shot a glare to her, telling her that she better not say anything. She smiled to herself, proud for embarrassing me. Eren didn’t catch onto her implication, so I let it slide. He just simply smiled in return. “You don’t have any food allergies right, Eren?” My mom asked.  
“Um… Not that I know of.” Of course he hadn’t been to a doctor to be checked for allergies before. He’s lucky but at the same time, not. The process of finding out what you’re allergic to is less than pleasant, but he doesn’t know if he’s allergic to anything. I hoped to high heavens he wasn’t.  
~  
Eren  
The ride to Levi’s was quiet and enjoyable. I think one thing Levi and I have in common is our love for quietness. Neither of us were loud or disruptive. We were secluded and that was okay.  
I was scared to meet his friends. What has Levi told them about me? Did he paint me as some guy with an amazing personality? If that was what he did, would I disappoint? I closed my eyes and tried to calm down. Levi wouldn’t let them treat me badly. I knew that.   
Finally, we pulled into a driveway. The house was small and cute. Kind of like… No, nevermind. The outside had baby blue siding and the door was white. There were some kind of purple and yellow flowers in the front yard around a willow tree. I climbed out of the car and stared up into the tree. It looked like cotton almost.   
Levi lead me inside. The first thing I noticed was the place was spotless. The couch was black leather, not a crack in it. The carpet was blue, not a stain in it. There was no dust accumulating anywhere. I felt incredibly dirty just walking in here. Levi took his shoes off by the door and lined them up with the others. I did the same, making him smile at me. I loved when he smiled because I knew it was just for me.  
“We’re meeting Four Eyes and Captain America at one, so what do you want to do until then?” I looked at him, confused. His eyes widened in recognition. “Sorry, those are my friends nicknames I gave them. ‘Four Eyes’ is Hanji and ‘Captain America’ is Erwin.”  
I laughed. “Will I understand why they have those nicknames?”  
“Oh yeah.” He confirmed. “Do you want to watch a movie?”  
I nodded. “I’m fine with anything.” I felt like I shouldn’t have said that, because he chose some horror movie. I gulped, not sure how to feel about that. I’d never really seen a horror movie. I warned him of this.  
“That’s okay. I’ll be here for moral support.” He joked, sitting down next to me on the couch. The movie started and I felt my hands grip the couch. Sneaking a glance at Levi, he looked completely fine. He didn’t look apprehensive about the movie at all. Do horror movies not scare him?  
“You look a little too relaxed for this.” I commented. “Should I be worried you’re a serial killer or something?”  
He smirked. “Of course not. I mean, the buried bodies in my backyard don’t mean a thing.”   
I laughed and turned back towards the screen.  
The movie started out slow, but escalated to a grotesque demon popping out and chasing a little girl. I flinched when it jumped out. I curled into the couch and tried thinking of pretty things. Levi’s smile came to mind and I shooed it away. I must have subconsciously moved closer to Levi. because his leg was brushing mine. If he noticed, he didn’t say anything or move away.  
“Are you alright? We don’t have to keep watching it if you don’t want. We have to be meeting Hanji and Erwin soon anyways.” I nodded, thankful he suggested to stop. Except, I was only trading one fear for another. I was terrified to meet his friends. I’m not interesting nor exciting. They’re going to be disappointed. What if Levi raved about me, then I’m a complete let down?  
He got up and turned off the movie, then looked at me.  
“Hey, I’m sorry about this movie. I didn’t know how you’d feel about it. I should have thought it through better.” He sat down and threw his arm around my shoulder in a friendly manor. I couldn’t help but feel a little squirmy.  
“That’s not what was bothering me…” I didn’t want to annoy him with being scared to meet his friends again.   
“What is it, then?” His eyebrows drew together in confusion.  
“I just…” I didn’t want to tell him, but I did at the same time.  
“Is it about Hanji and Erwin?” I didn’t answer and avoided eye contact with him, it being too pressurous. Levi sighed, “I promise they’ll like you. Seriously, I’ve never met two people who were so nonjudgmental in my entire life.”  
“I believe you, I just can’t stop thinking that they’ll dislike me.” I bit my lip and tried expelling such toxic thoughts. We got ready, apparently meeting the two in an area of woods they went to often.  
We got there, the path leading down to the spot being very steep. I gulped and tried not to stumble. My foot caught on a rock at the bottom. Levi spun around and I crashed into him. We both fell, him on his back, me on his side with my arm across his hips. His hand rested on my back and we both groaned from the impact. Suddenly, I realized our position. Our heart beats synced against our chests. My ears grew warm as fuck. I gasped and sat up immediately. My leg was between his, knee bent between the middle of his thighs. His cheeks were blazing red and it made mine grow red as well.   
"I-I'm sorry!" I apologized, feeling so embarrassed I could die. I stood and held my hand out to help him up. "Did I hurt you?"  
"No, it's fine." He grasped my hand tightly and pulled himself to his feet. I went around to his back and dusted the dirt from his shoulders.  
"I'm so fucking clumsy..." I muttered, continuing to wipe the dirt from his back, slowly moving downward. I stopped at his lower back.  
"It's not your fault. I can't count how many times I've fell walking down here." That didn't make me feel any better, so I crossed my arms and turned to start looking around the spot that was their hangout area. We were inside of a cave with a waterfall, an old bench sitting across from it. The view had me speechless. I stared into the distance. I could see why they all liked this place so much. Levi stood next to me. I assumed he was watching the view as I was, but when I looked at him, he was already looking at me. Immediately, I looked away.  
“Leeevviii!” I heard a screech from behind us. The loud voice made me cringe and jump. Levi placed a hand on my shoulder.  
“Hanji, shut the hell up!” He called. Wow, he was kind of harsh. A mess of auburn hair came down the trail I tripped on. The girl, Hanji, ran right up to Levi and locked him into a hug. “Erwin, get her off!” Levi complained. She giggled. I could tell she was very hyperactive and loud. The complete opposite of Levi. He pried her arms off of him and moved behind me, grabbing my upper arms and moving me like some kind of shield. The girl stopped all together, taking in my appearance.   
“Are you…?” She mumbled. Suddenly, her expression lit up as it was before. and she drew in close to my face. “You’re Eren!”   
I smiled nervously. “Yep. And you’re Hanji, I assume?”  
“I am! Oh, my you’re just adorable!” The compliment caught me off guard, making me splutter. Levi pushed her away.  
“Hanji, stop getting so close to people you don’t know.” He said. Looking over, a man with bleach blonde hair, styled to the side, walked down the trail. He wore khaki shorts and a light blue shirt to match his eyes. Man, he was attractive. This Erwin guy must be quite popular at school. He placed a hand on Hanji’s shoulder and pulled her back.   
“Hanji, we had an agreement…” He mumbled. Erwin’s voice was quiet but strong.  
“I know, I just got a little excited.” She laughed.  
“That’s nothing new.” Levi grumbled. I looked over at him, a slight tension in his brow. Sensing my look, he glanced at me. I tried smiling to make him understand I didn’t care as much as he thought. He tried hiding his smile behind his hand.  
“Awwe!” Hanji squealed. “Levi, you’re smiling!”   
“Hi, I’m Erwin Smith. It’s nice to meet you. Levi speaks of you frequently.” He held his hand out with a charming smile. I wondered how Levi became friends with people so different from him, but I also wondered what he’s said about me.  
“I-I’m Eren Jaeger. It’s nice to meet you both.” I shook his hand, smiling as best as I could.  
“Wow, you’re smile is blinding!” Hanji commented. I nodded my thanks. They were both so kind, making me feel like I worried for nothing. Trying to keep attention from my eyes that I felt change, I looked at my feet.  
“It seems Levi was right about you.” Erwin said, not really seeming like he was going to tell me what he meant. Instead, I looked to Levi.  
“What did you say about me?” By the way Erwin was acting, it wasn’t anything bad.  
Levi coughed. “Nothing…” He muttered, ruffling his hair and shooting an almost unnoticeable glare at Erwin. I sighed and shook my head at his secretiveness.  
I liked this. It was so calm and reassuring, being with such normal people. With my mom, I’d never really been exposed to other people. I lived a sheltered, lonely life with only Mom to keep me company. I lacked some social skills and common knowledge, but I feel it wasn’t going to be a problem with Levi by my side.


	6. Chapter 6

Afterlife  
Chapter 6  
Levi  
"What the hell is this?" Eren hissed as he stared at a math book for eighth graders. His eyes were narrowed and dark. I couldn't help the smirk that spread one side of my lips. We were beginning his tutoring. First things first, I needed to know how much he's been taught. I reached over and flipped the pages to the front.  
"Do you know anything about any of these topics?" I pointed to the contents. He quickly read them all, then scratched the back of his head.  
"Some of them sound kind of familiar..." Eren said in a non-confident way. I took a seat next to him, close enough that our sides were almost pressed together. I needed to be close to read the book.  
We got to work. Eren knew addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Along with that, he understood prime numbers, fractions, decimals, and some other stuff. Using this to pave the way with more difficult things, I started with some algebra. As we went, I could tell Eren was becoming frustrated with himself.  
"Why do we even need this shit...?" He muttered, rubbing his hands over his exhausted face. I guess after a week, Eren started having nightmares again. You could vaguely recognize purple rings under his drained eyes.  
"It doesn't really do much for us in the future." I shrugged and sighed. "Only if you want to be an architect or something."  
Eren shook his head and looked out my dining room window, then he scoffed with mock amusement. "It sucks being dumb."  
"You aren't dumb." I corrected. "Deprived of knowledge? Yes, but it's not your fault. You're picking things up surprisingly fast. Although, I don’t blame you. Math fucks everyone.” I leaned to the side a little and nudged him jokingly with my shoulder in the side. I heard him snicker quietly. “Let’s take a break.” I said, standing and stretching my back muscles out. When I turned to look at Eren for confirmation, he was already staring at me.  
“Sounds good.” He replied, rubbing his eyes and laying his head on the table. My brow furrowed in concern. What exactly were his nightmares about?  
“Hey, brat.” I said. Eren lifted his head to see what I wanted. “Are you having nightmares again?”  
Not answering, he leaned back in the chair. My eyes stayed attached to his emotionless expression.  
He shrugged his large shoulders.  
“Talk to me, Eren.” I said, my voice desperate. I really did care for him. I wanted to help him, even if all I had to do was listen.  
“You sound like Mikasa.” He sighed and ran his hands through his curly hair. In shock and slight disgust, I flinched back.  
“Don’t say that again.” I told him, not exactly like being told I’m anything like that witch. “I’m not your sister. I’m your friend. And I don’t like seeing you so drained and run-down. Have you ever thought that if you talked to someone about these nightmares of yours, it might help somehow?”  
Eren stood and began to pace the dining room. I didn’t like making him think about it. I didn’t like pushing him. All I wanted to do was to be of use to him.  
“I want to tell someone. Really, I do. It’s just…” He stopped to stand in front of me. There was this look on his face. It resembled fear. Absolute terror. “They don’t feel like dreams. They feel too real. Levi, I think I’m fucking insane.” Eren brought his hands up to cover his face. His voice shook and I realized how much more behind these seemingly simple nightmares there could be. With a trembling hand, I placed it on his shoulder and squeezed.  
“What do you see when you sleep?” The moment of seeing his eyes draping his bedroom in a blue glow came to mind. Obviously, this has something to do with these nightmares of his. Finally, he looked at me once again.  
“My mom.” He started to breathe heavily. “I always see her and others like her. But… she’s different. Not like how she used to be. Her skin is grey, sickly. And her eyes are black and the skin under them have red and purple vanes sticking out. Her hair is tangled and darker than it should be.” His eyes are more ominous than I had ever seen and his skin was ashen. “She tells me to do things. Fucked up, horrible things. And, sometimes,” He took a deep breath and found my eyes. At this, I felt something inside my chest tighten at the weight of the eye contact. “I want to do them.”  
Eren’s voice was thick with emotion and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly frightened. Suddenly, Eren did a complete one-eighty. His entire being just seemed so much more sinister than I thought possible. Dr. Jaeger’s words played in my head. Was this what he was talking about? Was this the corrupt part of Eren he meant?  
“It could just be a dream, you know. Sometimes our minds create messed up images.” I tried to tell him, but even I couldn’t believe my words. Something about Eren just screamed unnatural. Eren shook his head mutely.  
“I want to think that.” He muttered. “But I really do think something’s wrong with me” Without thinking, I took both of my hands and gripped his. I was hoping he didn’t read too much into it, just as a comforting gesture. I wasn’t sure if I imagined it, but Eren’s eyes swirled into a mixture of cloudy teal and a splotch of pastel green.  
“Listen.” I started. “I have a feeling you father plays a role in this whole situation.” His eyebrows furrowed. “I think we should find out why your mom left with you. Why your dad chased you into the woods and disciplined you for ‘disobeying’. Is there anything he does at home that makes you concerned?”  
He thought for a minute, his fingers clamping over my hands which made my heart jump. “Well… there’s the basement.” Eren’s face lit up. “I-I think there’s something in the basement he’s hiding. The first day I showed up at home after… He basically threatened me to stay out of the basement.”  
I nodded. “Is there any time we’d be able to get down there?”  
Eren shook his head. “The man never leaves the freaking house. Plus, I have no idea where the key is for the basement door.” I retreated my hands to cross one arm across my abdomen, then putting my thumb under my chin and laid my index finger across my lips in a thinking manor. Already, I missed the warmth of his hands, but I couldn’t keep that up long or it’d get weird. An idea struck me.  
“What about at night? When he sleeps?”  
“I don’t know his schedule. I’d have to watch him for a while to understand more about what routine he has.” Eren said crossing his arms.  
“Okay. Once you understand what he does at night, look for the key. If you find it, don’t take it. He’d probably notice and know it was you. Then, we can convince him to let me spend the night. You know, friend stuff. That’s when we’ll steal the key and snoop through that basement of his.” I felt like we were planning a heist or something. At this, I smirked. “Have you ever been a spy, Eren?”  
He couldn’t help but crack a small smile despite himself. “Nope. But I have a feeling it’ll be fun.”  
~  
Eren  
When I went home from Levi’s that night, I knew I wouldn’t be sleeping. Sure, I was tired, but not nearly tired enough to be able to sleep. Instead of going straight to my room, I went to the kitchen. Sasha and Krista were there, preparing something.  
"Hi." I said when they turned with small grins on their faces.  
"Hello, Mr. Jaeger." My eyes widened when Krista bowed slightly at the waist.  
"O-oh please just call me Eren." It made me uneasy being treated so formally. "What're you guys up to?" I asked while going into the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water.  
"Making your father a snack. He's working on some paperwork in his office and he requested something to eat." Krista said as Sasha practically drewled at the sight of my father's food. Suddenly, Sasha turned to look at me.  
"I just noticed you're not holed up in your room." She said, sounding amazed. Krista smacked her arm harshly.  
I smirked. "Yeah, I know." Would they happen to know anything about my dad? If they did, would they tell me? "Say, do you guys know anything about the basement?"  
Both of their eyes widened and they snapped their heads to look at each other. Well, they know something. Krista looked at me with her mouth in a little o shape and big, frightened eyes.  
"Why? What do you know?" She asked me, her voice taking on a sound of pure fear. I took a sip from my bottle of water and tried to keep my calm exterior.  
"Nothing. All I know is I have something to do with it. Whatever he has down there..." I glanced out the dark abyss of the kitchen window, the only light being the glow of the moon. Sasha started to laugh awkwardly.  
"There's nothing of importance down there. Just some old stuff your father doesn't like anyone getting into. That includes you, Eren." She said in a tone of finality. Sasha hastily left the room with my father's snack, Krista shooting me a look of sympathy as she followed. Well, that was a dead end.  
I groaned quietly and leaned back against the sink. Something was definitely going on. And my father was the epicenter of it all. A set of foot steps hit the hardwood flooring of the kitchen, so I glanced up. Mikasa stood staring at me with a cocked eyebrow.  
"Back from Levi's this late?" When I caught sight of the clock on the oven, it was almost ten at night. At this, I shrugged. I wasn't a child. I could stay out late if I wanted to.  
"What's wrong with that? He's my friend." I sipped my water while looking at her over the rim. She rolled her cool, dark eyes and crossed her arms.  
"I don't like him." Mikasa confirmed. I shook my head because there was nothing new with this information.  
"I know."  
"I don't see why you do. You guys are so different. You're nice and quiet and he's annoying and obnoxious." Mikasa grumbled, pushing her sock clad toe into the floor while avoiding my gaze.  
"Opposites attract, you know?" She scoffed when I said this, like she didn't believe it.  
"You're attracted to him?" She asked, suddenly snapping her head up with a bewildered look. My eyebrows shot up and I sank further into the side of the counter.  
"W-well, er..." My cheeks and ears held a tinge of warmth. Why would she suggest something like that? I didn't mean attract in that kind of sense. "That's not what I meant, but I guess..." I wasn't denying he was alluring. There we just something so amazing about him. Something refreshing. He was so normal and usual it contrasted with my crazy head. It felt nice to have something to anchor myself to.  
"Eren, do you have feelings for Levi?" Mikasa asked as if repulsed by the idea. I rolled my eyes and tried appeasing her.  
"I don't. And if I did, why would it matter?" I asked, pushing off of the counter. She calculated all of my moves. Everything from my nervous lip bite to the tight grip on my bottle of water.  
"He's not good enough for you." Mikasa frowned. Not good enough for me? He was more than I deserved. It's me that's the issue. I know there's something wrong with me. Sometimes I hear things. See things out of the corner of my eye. It's started only within the past couple of weeks. I'm slowly losing more of my sanity. For a while after I have a nightmare, I feel like something follows me. Attached to me. Like it fed off of my energy and suffering.  
"Whatever." This wasn't exactly something I wanted to be talking about. I began walking to the doorway of the kitchen, to isolate myself in my room. Then, I stopped and thought for a moment. "Mikasa..." I glanced back at her over my shoulder. "Do you trust Dad?"  
She jerked a little.  
"Why do you ask?" Mikasa was surprised at the question.  
"I just feel like... There's something off about him. That's all." And I went to my room. After I changed into a pair of plaid pajama pants and a black tee shirt, I pulled my hair back and wrapped a hair tie around it to hold it back from my face. I grabbed my phone that my father had bought me, as it let out the sound of a new text. It was Levi.  
*Are you going to try to get into your dad's office tonight?* I told him I could try searching his office for anything to be of use. I answered quickly.  
*Yeah. I'm going when everyone's in bed.* I replied. Levi replied soon after.  
*Okay. When you get into the office, video call me.* My stomach twisted. This was going to be sketchy. I had to be quiet and inconspicuous. Texting Levi kept me occupied and less nervous. It was midnight when I decided to start snooping.  
Silently exiting my room, I breathlessly went down the stairs and stopped at the set of double doors. They were locked.  
“Of course..." I muttered into the spacious room. I texted Levi to tell him.  
*Do you know where the key would be?* When he asked this, I immediately knew they had to be in his bedroom.  
*Probably his room. If I don't answer you within ten minutes, send for help.* I was joking, but I couldn't shake the thought of what would happen if he caught me. I'd be in such deep shit.  
*Don't even joke like that. You know this could be dangerous, right?* I rolled my eyes at how serious he could be sometimes.  
*...Do you think he’ll hurt me if he catches me?* I typed back. It was a very real possibility. He didn’t see to be a very upstanding guy according to my memory. Was I one of the reasons my mom left him?  
*Couldn’t say. Maybe. Just be careful.* I didn’t answer, understanding he was telling me to get to work. I went weightlessly up the stairs and down the hall. When I stopped, I pressed my ear to the door. There was nothing but a faint storing. Creeping the door open, a small creek rang out and down the hall. His storing didn’t halt. Using my dim phone light as a flashlight so not to wake up the sleeping lump of my father before me, I shined the light at the nightstand, thinking it was the best place to start.There was nothing on top of it, but when I began quietly shuffling through things I found a keyring in the second drawer, well hidden under some papers. Clamping the keys together in my fist, I got the hell out of there.  
When I found myself in the office, I grew more apprehensious. I fumbled my way to where I thought his desk was, clicking on the lamp that illuminated the room in a soft light. Dropping into his computer chair, I pulled my phone out and began video calling Levi before I realized what I looked like with my hair back and in pajamas like this. I shrugged to myself, not really finding a reason to care so much. He answered, his face filling the screen. Not being able to help it, I smiled at the sight of him. I leaned the phone against the lamp on the desk, allowing him to see me sitting back and showing off my spy skills.  
“Well, someone’s getting cocky.” Levi scoffed, leaning on his side, in bed I assumed, and holding his head up on his hand. Making sure he could see, I rolled my eyes in over exaggeration.  
“When you sneak into my dad’s bedroom to go through his office because you think he’s a rat and get away with it, you can be proud too.” I told him, laughing at his reaction. He closed his eyes and shook his head, but a smirk could be seen on his slender face.  
“Right. Just get off of your ass and start looking before all hell breaks loose, you brat.” Levi said, a sound of slight exhaustion. I stood started pulling drawers open on either side of me. I found some files in one of them. They all had names on them, none I recognized. Until the last one that sat on the bottom. The paper was yellowed with age and looked worn. The ink that spelled my name on the folder had begun to fade.  
“Shit…” I muttered. My head hurt and my chest constricted. I was sure I gulped in fear because Levi jumped at this.  
“What?” He asked, sounding more interested than before.  
“There’s a bunch of files in here. They have names on them, and I found one with mine.” I pulled it onto the tabletop and analyzed the outside of it.  
“Are you going to open it?” Levi asked. “Think about this. Who knows what the fuck is in there? I just don’t want you to find out something you could have gone without knowing.”  
I stared at the door to the office. I could walk away. Act like this never happened. But this folder was calling to me. There could be so many answers in here about what’s wrong with me  
“Levi, I’m fucked up.” I mumbled, but loud enough he could still hear. “And I want to know why. I’ve accepted this without fight for far too long. If my own father did something to me, I want to know. I need to know who I’m living with.” I admitted. Levi sighed, resigning to my resolve. Flipping the front open, a small stack of papers sat. The first was all basic information on me. Things like my full name, eye color, height and weight. There was a picture of me pinned to the corner with a paper clip. I was very young. Maybe five, right around when my mother left with me. I flipped the page to see handwritten notes.  
August 15, 2003  
One day after injection #1  
Subject shows no physical or psychological changes  
Will update  
September 22, 2003  
Five weeks and four days after injection #1  
Subject becomes temperamental easily  
Lashes out  
Will update  
I stopped reading, trying to keep myself from blacking out. Injection?! What was he injecting me with?! My vision spotted and I dropped backwards unceremoniously into the chair I sat in. What did this mean? In utter shock, I sat still and let my hands shakily cover my face.  
“Eren? Eren?!” Levi said, or yelled. “What did you find?”  
It took me a couple of moments to get my mind together and allow my face to show.  
“It’s a file on me. There’s notes… He..” I shook my hand and tried to calm down. “He injected me with something. When I was younger.” Leaning forwards, I tried getting me breathing to regulate.  
“He did what? Wait, Eren calm down.” Levi tried. I put my hand up to stop him as I began to read aloud the next part of the note.  
“October 28, 2003  
10 weeks and five days after injection #1  
Subject is emotionally stressed  
Purple rings under eyes  
Detached from friends/family  
Plans to increase the dosage and inject subject again  
Will update” I read back to him. Anger seized my entire body. When I looked up to the camera on my phone, I could see my eyes become dangerously dark. “He called me a subject, Levi.” My jaw clamped down as I tried to fight the urge to swipe all of the things off of my “father’s” desk.  
His mouth was ajar, shock coloring his entire face.  
“Oh, Eren.” Levi mumbled. “This was a bad idea. This is a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be.”  
“He never cared about me. I was just a damn subject to him. What does that even mean? Am I just some genetically altered freak?” I growled, losing my temper. I didn’t necessarily care much about my father, but just knowing even back then he only thought about me as a tester made me irrational.  
“No. You’re not a freak, Eren. I told you that before.” Levi said in a calm voice. I stared at him through the phone screen.  
“That’s easy for you to say. My dad fucked me up. Literally!” I started to bite on the edge of my thumb, feeling like I needed to release some stress.  
“I know I don’t understand how you feel. I couldn’t ever even begin to. But I want to help you. Sure, you’re different. But I wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing.” I sighed at his words. I couldn’t think right now. All I could do was breathe and try not to think about what I just read.  
“I think I’m going to bed.” I told him, lying. I knew I wasn’t going to be getting any rest tonight.  
“Are you sure?” Levi asked, a yawn hitching to the end of his words. I nodded, smirking vaguely.  
“I’ll take pictures of the rest of the file and look at them with you later.” I told him. He shook his head.  
“So, you still want to continue, even after revealing this?”  
I looked at him sadly.  
“Someone has to.” I pushed. “There are other files in here, Levi. Think about all the other poor people he has or still is experimenting on. I need to get into that basement and figure out what kind of monster he is.”


End file.
